Skoda Octavia 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

45.9% of 15,843 MOT tests of the Skoda Octavia 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 101.0 (95% CI 98.6–103.3; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2003 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Skoda Octavia built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	45.9	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	15843
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 98.6–103.3)	101.0	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	15843
Rank among this model's 22 build years	9	of 22	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	15843
Tested in 2024	1375	tests	median 144,912 miles	2024	1375

Built 2003 against Skoda Octavia normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 48.8% vs 49%; age 17: 46.7% vs 45.9%; age 18: 43.9% vs 45.3%; age 19: 44.7% vs 43.4%; age 20: 44.4% vs 41.9%; age 21: 41.8% vs 40.6%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 Skoda Octavia by registration · All Skoda Octavia 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 Skoda Octavia 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.

Skoda Octavia 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	4,457	48.8	47.3–50.3	49	99.5
17	3,299	46.7	45–48.4	45.9	101.7
18	2,704	43.9	42.1–45.8	45.3	97
19	2,241	44.7	42.6–46.7	43.4	103
20	1,767	44.4	42.1–46.8	41.9	106
21	1,375	41.8	39.2–44.4	40.6	103.1

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 15,843 (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 Skoda Octavia?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 33.3 items per 100 first tests, against 13.9 across all build years of the Skoda Octavia. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Skoda Octavia built 2003 against the Skoda Octavia in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	33.3	13.9	5,275
Suspension	30.7	14.8	4,867
Brakes	29.3	8.8	4,635
Body, chassis, structure	18.1	5.1	2,861
Steering	17.4	1.5	2,760

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 15,843 (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 22 published build years of the Skoda Octavia, 2003 ranks 9 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 97.2. 2004: index 103.0.

Skoda Octavia build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1999	105.8	93.6–118.1	no different (rough estimate)	606
2000	102.6	96.0–109.2	no different (rough estimate)	2,021
2001	101.5	97.8–105.2	no different	6,455
2002	97.2	94.5–100.0	no different	11,217
2003	101.0	98.6–103.3	no different	15,843
2004	103.0	100.9–105.1	worse	19,998
2005	103.7	102.0–105.5	worse	28,544
2006	103.0	101.6–104.5	worse	42,995
2007	101.5	100.1–102.9	worse	48,257
2008	103.4	101.9–104.9	worse	43,792
2009	100.5	99.0–102.0	no different	49,185
2010	103.4	102.1–104.8	worse	66,267
2011	102.9	101.6–104.2	worse	77,014
2012	111.9	110.5–113.4	worse	74,840
2013	96.8	95.3–98.3	better	70,704
2014	91.1	89.8–92.3	better	105,534
2015	94.7	93.4–96.0	better	118,738
2016	94.8	93.4–96.2	better	126,633
2017	92.8	91.2–94.4	better	98,754
2018	96.6	94.5–98.7	better	67,633
2019	109.2	106.8–111.7	worse	60,255
2020	102.2	98.4–106.0	no different	24,228

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,159,513 (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). Skoda Octavia 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/skoda-octavia/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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