Does the Vauxhall Cavalier fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Vauxhall Cavalier records 18.53 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.47 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−1.94, 95% interval −2.89 to −0.99). It ranks 451 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 Vauxhall Cavalier by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Cavalier is “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.”, recorded 262 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | 262 | 2.98 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 237 | 2.70 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 129 | 1.47 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 111 | 1.26 |
| Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 91 | 1.04 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 8,791 (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 Vauxhall Cavalier gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
14.0% of Vauxhall Cavalier MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 1,077 miles later (1,257 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,257 (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
Vauxhall Cavalier by postcode area · Vauxhall Cavalier body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Cavalier vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Cavalier lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Cavalier noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Cavalier seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Cavalier steering failures · Vauxhall Cavalier suspension failures · Vauxhall Cavalier tyres failures · Vauxhall Cavalier visibility failures