Does the Nissan Serena fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Nissan Serena records 10.36 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 13.95 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.59, 95% interval −4.32 to −2.86). It ranks 523 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Nissan Serena by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Nissan Serena is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 294 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 294 | 2.93 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 117 | 1.16 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 95 | 0.95 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 87 | 0.87 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 43 | 0.43 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 10,049 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Nissan Serena gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.1% of Nissan Serena MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,980 miles later (1,318 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,318 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Nissan Serena by postcode area · Nissan Serena body, chassis and structure failures · Nissan Serena vehicle identification failures · Nissan Serena lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Nissan Serena noise, emissions and leaks failures · Nissan Serena road wheels failures · Nissan Serena seat belts and airbags failures · Nissan Serena steering failures · Nissan Serena suspension failures · Nissan Serena tyres failures · Nissan Serena visibility failures