Rover 25 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

41.6% of 8,940 MOT tests of the Rover 25 first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 96.6 (95% CI 93.5–99.7; 100 = normal for this model at that age): close to other build years of the same model at the same age (within 5 points of normal).

Rover 25 built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	41.6	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	8940
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 93.5–99.7)	96.6	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	8940
Rank among this model's 7 build years	4	of 7	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	8940
Tested in 2024	645	tests	median 62,215 miles	2024	645

Built 2003 against Rover 25 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 42.7% vs 45.7%; age 17: 43.4% vs 43.5%; age 18: 41.7% vs 43.1%; age 19: 37.8% vs 40.3%; age 20: 40.1% vs 39.6%; age 21: 39.2% vs 38.7%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 Rover 25 by registration · All Rover 25 MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2003 Rover 25 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Rover 25 built 2003: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
16	2,918	42.7	41–44.5	45.7	93.6
17	1,943	43.4	41.2–45.6	43.5	99.8
18	1,442	41.7	39.2–44.2	43.1	96.6
19	1,131	37.8	35–40.6	40.3	93.7
20	861	40.1	36.8–43.4	39.6	101.2
21	645	39.2	35.5–43	38.7	101.3

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,940 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2003 Rover 25?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is body, chassis, structure: 32.1 items per 100 first tests, against 30.5 across all build years of the Rover 25. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Rover 25 built 2003 against the Rover 25 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Body, chassis, structure	32.1	30.5	2,867
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	29	28.7	2,591
Brakes	16	16.6	1,432
Visibility	12.1	11.4	1,082
Suspension	9.3	10.4	828

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,940 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 7 published build years of the Rover 25, 2003 ranks 4 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 96.6. 2004: index 98.2.

Rover 25 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2000	99.3	94.6–104.0	no different	4,097
2001	102.7	99.2–106.2	no different	7,487
2002	96.6	93.3–99.9	better	7,926
2003	96.6	93.5–99.7	better	8,940
2004	98.2	94.7–101.7	no different	7,155
2005	91.2	87.0–95.4	better	4,404
2006	95.0	81.8–108.1	no different (rough estimate)	485

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 40,494 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Rover 25 2003 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/rover-25/2003/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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