MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Nissan Qashqai — MOT statistics 2024

All Nissan Qashqai variants tested in Great Britain in 2024 — 800,602 MOT tests, every generation and engine together.

MOT risk index 122.9, 95% CI 122.5–123.3 (100 = national average) 100 122.9 60 160
Index
122.9
100 = age-normal
Raw fail rate
30.07%
n = 800,602
Dangerous /100
16
national ≈13
Diesel − petrol
+8.2 pp
fail-rate gap
Rank
21 of 25
lower index = better

This car fails its MOT about 23% more often than expected for its age.

Age-adjusted peer: Tesla Model 3 (index 122.9)— the two published results are 0.0 index points apart.

What actually fails

Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.

Family vs national defect rates across 6 component groups This family National avg Suspension 31.8 Lamps & electrical 20.3 Brakes 15.0 Steering 14.3 Body & structure 10.4 Visibility 10.1

family vs national — top component groups, per 100 tests

Component-group comparison table
GroupThis familyNational
Suspension31.819.9
Lamps & electrical20.323.5
Brakes15.014.3
Steering14.34.6
Body & structure10.48.4
Visibility10.112.0
What failedper 100nationalratioCheck
Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.646.032.26×Listen for knocks over bumps — worn suspension joints are common
Steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play7.131.504.74×Ask the seller about: A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated8.413.452.44×Listen for knocks over bumps — worn suspension joints are common
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover…5.141.673.08×Ask the seller about: Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or det
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm5.362.452.19×Feel for brake judder and pulling on the test drive
Transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot…4.511.842.45×Ask the seller about: A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or
Lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a…4.302.561.68×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot…4.292.701.59×Ask the seller about: A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely d
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…4.423.821.16×Check tyre tread depth across the full width
Rear registration plate lamp or light source…4.834.431.09×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure

Early warnings (advisories)

Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.

Tyres 61.2 Brakes 59.9 Suspension 45 Non-component advisories 14.1 Steering 7.3 Emissions & leaks 5.3
Advisory rates table
Groupper 100
Tyres61.2
Brakes59.9
Suspension45
Non-component advisories14.1
Steering7.3
Emissions & leaks5.3

How it ages

3579111315171962%car age, years

Takeaway: a 10-year-old Qashqai has roughly a 31% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 6 it stays above the national age curve.

Data table
AgeNissan QashqaiAll cars
39.7%10.9%
49.6%11.6%
513.2%13.5%
616.7%15.6%
719.3%18.2%
823.3%21.3%
927.0%24.4%
1031.3%27.7%
1143.7%30.6%
1247.9%33.4%
1349.9%36.0%
1453.0%38.6%
1557.1%39.9%
1656.3%41.5%
1755.2%41.5%

Petrol, diesel, hybrid — which ages best?

Fail rate by fuel type: Diesel 34.2%, Petrol 25.9% 34.2% Diesel n=402k 25.9% Petrol n=399k
Fuel split table
FuelTests% failing
Diesel401,54734.2%
Petrol398,96625.9%

How severe are the defects?

Defect severity per 100 tests: Minor 30.2, Major 71.3, Dangerous 15.8 30.271.315.8 Minor 30.2 Major 71.3 Dangerous 15.8

Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 24.4 · Major 63.3 · Dangerous 12.9 per 100.

Severity table
SeverityThis family /100National /100
Minor30.2024.38
Major71.3063.26
Dangerous15.8112.89

Does the test month matter?

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 5.1 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.

29.82% in month 1 J29.05% in month 2 F27.18% in month 3 M29.39% in month 4 A29.49% in month 5 M29.71% in month 6 J30.8% in month 7 J30.9% in month 8 A29.44% in month 9 S31.98% in month 10 O32.24% in month 11 N31.6% in month 12 D 34% 23%

bars: Nissan Qashqai · dashed: all class-4 cars

Month-by-month table
MonthNissan QashqaiAll cars
Jan29.82%27.37%
Feb29.05%26.14%
Mar27.18%24.75%
Apr29.39%26.01%
May29.49%25.01%
Jun29.71%25.01%
Jul30.8%26.04%
Aug30.9%25.79%
Sep29.44%25.19%
Oct31.98%27.13%
Nov32.24%27.2%
Dec31.6%26.29%

Is the mileage normal?

A typical 8-year-old Qashqai has ~62,255 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

3691215car age, years 149k mi 0

Does high mileage actually mean more failures?

Same age band (6–14 years), split by odometer — this separates wear from age: 14.6% of the lowest-mileage cars failed versus 53% of the highest.

<40k mi 14.6% 40-70k mi 23% 70-100k mi 36.2% 100-140k mi 48.2% 140k+ mi 53%
Odometer% failingTests
<40k miles14.6%69,489
40-70k miles23%204,070
70-100k miles36.2%175,372
100-140k miles48.2%108,526
140k+ miles53%26,626

line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
315,26822,63932,26627,591
419,82927,96038,14348,661
526,84136,18347,65576,129
634,73946,04659,01368,565
741,09253,58367,99485,755
847,94862,25578,72182,013
955,56071,50789,75879,164
1063,71380,55299,30063,027
1168,20986,401106,51061,945
1276,36595,434116,25355,280
1384,094103,148123,72245,903
1491,293111,816133,09142,591
1594,879115,951137,66831,694
1697,536119,327141,68618,430
17101,005120,708141,59013,794

Regional variation (raw rates)

Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.

Torquay (TQ): 41.6% failing, 2,849 testsSalisbury (SP): 39.6% failing, 3,347 testsBournemouth (BH): 38.6% failing, 8,291 testsDorchester (DT): 38.5% failing, 3,205 testsPlymouth (PL): 37.5% failing, 8,945 testsBath (BA): 37.3% failing, 6,387 testsPortsmouth (PO): 37.1% failing, 10,796 testsGloucester (GL): 36.3% failing, 8,064 testsBrighton (BN): 36.3% failing, 10,396 testsExeter (EX): 35.7% failing, 8,211 testsBlackpool (FY): 35.6% failing, 2,966 testsSwindon (SN): 35.5% failing, 6,269 testsBristol (BS): 35.1% failing, 14,162 testsTaunton (TA): 35% failing, 4,661 testsHuddersfield (HD): 35% failing, 2,481 testsTruro (TR): 34.7% failing, 3,843 testsCardiff (CF): 34.5% failing, 14,717 testsKirkcaldy (KY): 34.5% failing, 3,976 testsSouthampton (SO): 34.2% failing, 7,688 testsChester (CH): 34.2% failing, 8,167 testsLlandudno (LL): 33.9% failing, 6,984 testsPerth (PH): 33.8% failing, 1,477 testsManchester (M): 33.5% failing, 15,097 testsAberdeen (AB): 33.4% failing, 5,488 testsLancaster (LA): 33.4% failing, 2,830 testsCanterbury (CT): 33.4% failing, 7,114 testsWorcester (WR): 33.3% failing, 2,866 testsLincoln (LN): 33.2% failing, 3,880 testsMedway (ME): 33% failing, 9,636 testsLeeds (LS): 32.4% failing, 7,905 testsGuildford (GU): 32.3% failing, 8,205 testsBradford (BD): 32.3% failing, 7,844 testsNorwich (NR): 32.1% failing, 12,168 testsNewport (NP): 32.1% failing, 7,660 testsNorthampton (NN): 32% failing, 10,753 testsGalashiels (TD): 32% failing, 1,352 testsHull (HU): 32% failing, 7,685 testsCambridge (CB): 32% failing, 4,670 testsYork (YO): 31.9% failing, 6,184 testsRedhill (RH): 31.9% failing, 8,029 testsSunderland (SR): 31.6% failing, 3,328 testsHereford (HR): 31.3% failing, 2,246 testsNottingham (NG): 31.2% failing, 13,865 testsReading (RG): 31% failing, 10,669 testsTonbridge (TN): 31% failing, 11,014 testsSwansea (SA): 30.9% failing, 8,808 testsCrewe (CW): 30.9% failing, 4,071 testsPreston (PR): 30.9% failing, 7,541 testsWakefield (WF): 30.8% failing, 6,734 testsHarrogate (HG): 30.6% failing, 1,220 testsCleveland (TS): 30.5% failing, 8,328 testsStockport (SK): 30.5% failing, 6,323 testsColchester (CO): 30.5% failing, 5,336 testsStoke-on-Trent (ST): 30.3% failing, 7,572 testsLeicester (LE): 30.2% failing, 12,496 testsPaisley (PA): 30.1% failing, 2,608 testsIpswich (IP): 30.1% failing, 10,433 testsDundee (DD): 30.1% failing, 3,576 testsMilton Keynes (MK): 30.1% failing, 7,541 testsBolton (BL): 29.8% failing, 6,536 testsTelford (TF): 29.8% failing, 3,239 testsLiverpool (L): 29.5% failing, 8,759 testsNewcastle (NE): 29.5% failing, 15,439 testsWigan (WN): 29.4% failing, 4,693 testsHemel Hempstead (HP): 29.4% failing, 7,567 testsShrewsbury (SY): 29.3% failing, 4,263 testsLondon SE (SE): 29.3% failing, 10,762 testsWalsall (WS): 29.2% failing, 5,590 testsOldham (OL): 29.2% failing, 7,096 testsLuton (LU): 28.9% failing, 4,663 testsDurham (DH): 28.7% failing, 4,338 testsDoncaster (DN): 28.7% failing, 10,307 testsCoventry (CV): 28.5% failing, 9,078 testsIlford (IG): 28.4% failing, 3,316 testsWatford (WD): 28.3% failing, 2,873 testsLondon W (W): 28.1% failing, 1,813 testsOxford (OX): 28.1% failing, 9,720 testsLondon NW (NW): 28.1% failing, 6,112 testsPeterborough (PE): 28% failing, 15,481 testsEdinburgh (EH): 27.9% failing, 10,330 testsInverness (IV): 27.9% failing, 2,323 testsWolverhampton (WV): 27.8% failing, 5,884 testsMotherwell (ML): 27.7% failing, 3,521 testsFalkirk (FK): 27.6% failing, 2,934 testsCroydon (CR): 27.5% failing, 6,221 testsLondon SW (SW): 27.2% failing, 3,074 testsDarlington (DL): 27.1% failing, 5,329 testsBirmingham (B): 26.8% failing, 22,683 testsBromley (BR): 26.7% failing, 3,142 testsLondon E (E): 26.6% failing, 7,972 testsSheffield (S): 26.4% failing, 17,733 testsWarrington (WA): 26.3% failing, 9,806 testsHalifax (HX): 26.2% failing, 2,744 testsKingston upon Thames (KT): 26% failing, 6,452 testsDerby (DE): 25.9% failing, 11,085 testsBlackburn (BB): 25.9% failing, 7,874 testsCarlisle (CA): 25.9% failing, 5,111 testsDartford (DA): 25.4% failing, 6,085 testsChelmsford (CM): 25.3% failing, 8,336 testsRomford (RM): 25.3% failing, 7,062 testsHarrow (HA): 25.2% failing, 6,190 testsStevenage (SG): 25.2% failing, 7,154 testsLondon N (N): 25.2% failing, 6,186 testsDumfries (DG): 25.1% failing, 1,465 testsSutton (SM): 25% failing, 2,134 testsEnfield (EN): 24.9% failing, 5,537 testsSlough (SL): 24.8% failing, 5,315 testsKilmarnock (KA): 24.8% failing, 5,053 testsSouthend-on-Sea (SS): 24.7% failing, 8,872 testsSt Albans (AL): 24.5% failing, 3,886 testsDudley (DY): 24.4% failing, 5,915 testsUxbridge (UB): 24.3% failing, 6,276 testsTwickenham (TW): 22% failing, 8,966 testsGlasgow (G): 21.8% failing, 18,035 tests % failing 25% 37%
Toughest areas% failing
Torquay (TQ)41.63%
Salisbury (SP)39.59%
Bournemouth (BH)38.63%
Dorchester (DT)38.53%
Plymouth (PL)37.48%
Easiest areas% failing
Glasgow (G)21.85%
Twickenham (TW)22.03%
Uxbridge (UB)24.28%
Dudley (DY)24.4%
St Albans (AL)24.55%

Quick answers

Is a 10-year-old Qashqai a bad buy?
A 10-year-old Qashqai has roughly a 31% chance of failing its MOT. Across 800,602 initial tests in 2024 the family fails its MOT about 23% more often than expected for its age (MOT Risk Index 122.9, where 100 = normal for its age). For a similarly sized published sample, compare Volkswagen Polo MOT stats: 895,817 tests and index 114.8.
What usually fails on a Qashqai MOT?
The most frequent specific failures in 2024 were: a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn; a suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated; a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play.
Are diesel Qashqais worse?
34.2% of diesel tests found a failing defect vs 25.9% of petrol — a gap of 8.2 percentage points.
What mileage is normal for a Qashqai?
For a typical 8-year-old Qashqai, the median is about 62,255 miles; the middle half of the fleet sits between 47,948 and 78,721.
How often are dangerous faults found?
About 16 dangerous defects were recorded per 100 initial Nissan Qashqai tests in 2024 (national average ≈13) — with a dangerous defect the car legally cannot be driven away.

Compare with

Same brand

All Nissan MOT statisticsNissan Leaf MOT stats

Similar risk

Tesla Model 3 (index 122.9)Vauxhall Corsa (index 123.5)Ford Fiesta (index 117.8)

Same size class

how Volkswagen Polo compareshow Vauxhall Astra compareshow BMW 3 Series compares

Data details & how to cite

Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dvsa-2024-v1, frozen baseline. Full method: methodology.

Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Nissan Qashqai MOT statistics 2024 (dvsa-2024-v1). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/nissan-qashqai/ · Published 2026-07-30.