MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Vauxhall Combo — MOT statistics 2024

The Vauxhall Combo failed 39.53% of 105,066 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 145.6 (100 = expected for its age profile). This van fails its MOT about 46% more often than expected for its age.

MOT risk index 145.6, 95% CI 144.5–146.7 (100 = national average) 100 145.6 0 200
Index
145.6
100 = age-normal
Raw fail rate
39.53%
n = 105,066
Dangerous /100
18
national ≈11
Diesel − petrol
+17.1 pp
fail-rate gap
Rank
736 of 761
lower index = better

Age-adjusted peer: Renault Trafic (index 147.6) — the two published results are 2.0 index points apart.

Vauxhall Combo common problems: what actually fails the MOT

Suspension stands out at 32.2 per 100 tests, against 25.3 per 100 tests across UK vans and pickups of the same ages.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

Vauxhall Combo common problems: what actually fails the MOT — 2024 UK MOT data

family vs national — matched to UK vans and pickups of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.

Component-group comparison table

Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone.

GroupThis familyCases behind itUK, same agesFamily / national
Lamps & electrical33.4201,92732.71.02×1.02–1.03
Suspension32.2194,30825.31.27×1.26–1.28
Brakes22.0132,99620.51.07×1.07–1.08
Visibility19.4117,50415.61.25×1.24–1.26
Tyres14.185,0218.21.73×1.71–1.74
Body & structure10.865,54913.70.79×0.79–0.80
Named defects — items per 100 initial tests, this family vs UK national average; this model measured on 604,297 tests, 2019-2024, national column 2024
What failedper 100 tests (this family)per 100 tests (UK average)ratio family / UKWhat to check
Spring or spring component fractured or seriously…A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.632.863.02×Ask the seller about: A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously…Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view6.592.362.79×Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view
Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.794.871.81×Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corrodedBrake pipe damaged or excessively corroded4.511.413.21×Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings
Rear registration plate lamp or light source…A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources5.772.832.04×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the…Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen4.702.222.11×Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view
Aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down…The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements4.912.571.91×Try every light and switch — lamps are a top failure
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the…Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements5.803.591.61×Check tyre tread depth across the full width
Tyre cords visible or damagedA tyre cords visible or damaged3.751.632.30×Check tyre tread depth across the full width
Windscreen washers not working or not providing…Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen3.711.622.29×Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view

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

Vauxhall Combo MOT advisories: what gets flagged

Brakes are highest at 44.6 per 100 tests; Body & structure are lowest at 7.5 per 100 tests — the gap is 37.1 per 100 tests.

higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests

Vauxhall Combo MOT advisories: what gets flagged — 2024 UK MOT data
Advisory rates table
GroupAdvisories per 100
Brakes44.6
Tyres43.4
Suspension34.9
Non-component advisories12.5
Emissions & leaks11.3
Body & structure7.5

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

Tyres, brakes and suspension: Vauxhall Combo against cars of the same age

AgePartVauxhall ComboSame age, petrol and dieselDifference
3 yearsTyres5.754.171.58
3 yearsBrakes6.721.774.95
3 yearsSuspension1.760.631.13
4 yearsTyres6.084.541.54
4 yearsBrakes6.172.433.74
4 yearsSuspension3.971.212.76
5 yearsTyres7.035.061.97
5 yearsBrakes5.853.092.76
5 yearsSuspension7.972.195.78
6 yearsTyres8.595.543.05
6 yearsBrakes6.073.812.26
6 yearsSuspension15.113.7211.39
7 yearsTyres9.095.953.14
7 yearsBrakes6.54.551.95
7 yearsSuspension18.595.6812.91
8 yearsTyres9.136.312.82
8 yearsBrakes6.845.381.46
8 yearsSuspension20.827.7813.04

Failing items per 100 initial tests, 2019-2024. The comparison group is every petrol or diesel car tested at the same age, so weight and drivetrain show up rather than fleet age.

If a van like this fails, does it fail again?

A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.

After this year's testFails next yearVehicles followed
It failed43.0%46,562
It passed35.3%241,707

A failed test raises next year's chance of failing again by 7.7 percentage points. The failure most likely to come back is visibility — 39.3% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.

Adjusted for how much these are actually driven

The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every van with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 593,722 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.

Standardised forIndexReading
Age only135.7fails more often than expected
Age and annual mileage125.4fails more often than vehicles driven as much
Share doing under 3,000 miles a year2.3%a normal spread of use

Mileage matters here: matching on how much these are driven moves the figure by 10.3 points — this fleet works harder than the vehicles it is measured against, so the age-only view penalises it — but it does not change which side of normal the van sits on. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.

How the Vauxhall Combo compares with cars of its own age and size

Not against the whole fleet — against other light commercials tested at the same age, 2019-2024.

AgeVauxhall ComboSame class, same ageDifferenceTests
3 years28.64%19.61%+9.03 pp52,683
4 years31.04%22.69%+8.35 pp47,205
5 years31.65%25.28%+6.37 pp40,297
6 years37.29%28.74%+8.55 pp28,347
7 years39.77%32.17%+7.6 pp28,707
8 years40.29%35.52%+4.78 pp33,806
9 years39.66%38.4%+1.26 pp36,567
10 years41.11%40.88%+0.23 pp36,378
11 years43.6%43.06%+0.54 pp40,481
12 years45.95%44.85%+1.1 pp43,824
13 years48.9%45.91%+3 pp45,697
14 years51.43%46.58%+4.85 pp41,362
15 years53.82%47.02%+6.8 pp35,893
16 years54.84%47.16%+7.68 pp32,066
17 years54.69%47.13%+7.56 pp23,638
18 years54.85%47.11%+7.74 pp15,452
19 years54.48%46.65%+7.83 pp9,534
20 years52.85%45.88%+6.97 pp5,614

Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.

How does the Vauxhall Combo perform as it gets older?

The Combo at age 4 stands out at 31.5%, against 13.1% for all vehicles of the same age.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

How does the Vauxhall Combo perform as it gets older? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: van age, years · failure-rate scale 0–58%.

Takeaway: a 10-year-old Combo has roughly a 43% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 3 it stays above the national age curve.

Data table
AgeVauxhall ComboAll vehiclesGap
329.9%12.4%+17.5 pp
431.5%13.1%+18.4 pp
527.5%15.1%+12.3 pp
631.0%17.5%+13.5 pp
738.4%20.2%+18.2 pp
840.5%23.3%+17.2 pp
941.6%26.5%+15.1 pp
1042.5%30.1%+12.4 pp
1145.9%33.2%+12.8 pp
1249.5%35.7%+13.8 pp
1341.5%38.2%+3.4 pp
1444.3%40.4%+3.9 pp
1550.9%41.6%+9.3 pp
1651.8%43.1%+8.7 pp
1751.9%43.1%+8.8 pp
1852.6%43.9%+8.7 pp
1952.0%43.5%+8.5 pp
2053.4%41.0%+12.4 pp

Is a Vauxhall Combo ULEZ compliant?

The share of classifiable 2024 Vauxhall Combo MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 50.6%.

Based on 104,762 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.

higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class

Age-band estimate from classifiable initial MOT tests
Vehicle age at testLikely ULEZ-compliant shareTests
Under 3 yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 223
3–5 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 38,557
6–7 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 6,683
8 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 5,118
9 years39.6%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 5,247
10–14 years0.6%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 25,404
15–17 years1.3%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 13,673
18 years0.7%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 3,402
19 years0.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 2,283
20+ years0.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 4,172

Vauxhall Combo petrol vs diesel: which ages best

Diesel is highest at 40.2%; Petrol is lowest at 23.0% — the gap is 17.1 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Vauxhall Combo petrol vs diesel: which ages best — 2024 UK MOT data
Fuel split table
FuelTests% failingGap vs best
Diesel101,26740.2%+17.1 pp
Petrol3,55323.0%+0.0 pp

Chart sample sizes: n=101k · n=3,553.

How dangerous are Vauxhall Combo MOT failures?

Major defects stand out at 102.9 per 100 tests, against 52.8 per 100 tests nationally.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

How dangerous are Vauxhall Combo MOT failures? — 2024 UK MOT data
Severity table
SeverityThis family /100National /100Family / national
Minor25.7014.221.81×
Major102.8652.751.95×
Dangerous18.2711.151.64×

Chart values: Minor 25.7 · Major 102.9 · Dangerous 18.3.

Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.

Does the month of a Vauxhall Combo MOT matter?

Jan is highest at 43.8%; Dec is lowest at 40.9% — the gap is 2.9 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Does the month of a Vauxhall Combo MOT matter? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart scale: 27%–45%.

bars: Vauxhall Combo · dashed: all class-4 cars

Month-by-month table
MonthVauxhall ComboAll vehiclesGap
Jan43.79%31.12%+12.7 pp
Feb42.98%29.99%+13.0 pp
Mar42.79%28.26%+14.5 pp
Apr43.26%29.78%+13.5 pp
May42.87%28.79%+14.1 pp
Jun42.5%28.15%+14.4 pp
Jul43.31%29.33%+14.0 pp
Aug42.12%29.2%+12.9 pp
Sep41.73%28.19%+13.5 pp
Oct43.11%30.34%+12.8 pp
Nov43.2%30.58%+12.6 pp
Dec40.94%29.33%+11.6 pp

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 2.9 percentage points — booking month barely matters for this family. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.

Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.

Vauxhall Combo average mileage by age

At age 8, the middle half of Combos runs from 67,175 miles to 116,879 miles, against 91,322 miles as the median.

further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75

Bars: Vauxhall Combo · dashed: all class-4 cars — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: van age, years · odometer scale 0–172k mi.

Does high mileage mean more Vauxhall Combo MOT failures at the same age?

Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 3–5, 23.5% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 32.3% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.

Does high mileage mean more Vauxhall Combo MOT failures at the same age? — 2024 UK MOT data
Vauxhall Combo: first-time failure by mileage within each age group (2024)
AgeOdometer% failing95% intervalTests
3–5<40k miles23.5%22.8–24.2%13,392
3–540-70k miles32%31.4–32.7%17,305
3–570-100k miles33.8%32.7–35%6,208
3–5100-140k miles33%30.6–35.5%1,442
3–5140k+ miles32.3%26.2–39.1%198 (rough estimate)
6–9<40k miles25.4%23.3–27.6%1,591
6–940-70k miles34.6%33.1–36.1%3,941
6–970-100k miles41.1%39.8–42.5%5,351
6–9100-140k miles42.7%41.3–44.1%4,488
6–9140k+ miles42.5%40.2–44.9%1,664
10–14<40k miles29%26–32.3%785
10–1440-70k miles31.1%29.7–32.4%4,467
10–1470-100k miles41.6%40.4–42.8%6,264
10–14100-140k miles48.3%47.2–49.4%7,788
10–14140k+ miles51.3%50–52.6%5,650
15+<40k miles36.6%29.8–44%172 (rough estimate)
15+40-70k miles41.5%38.8–44.3%1,238
15+70-100k miles49.3%47.8–50.8%4,181
15+100-140k miles53.1%52.1–54.2%8,606
15+140k+ miles53.6%52.5–54.6%8,521

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

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
330,24143,66757,08010,688
435,32650,55866,34712,118
535,79052,62771,51115,751
642,54462,66685,2703,003
756,41779,324103,6023,680
867,17591,322116,8795,118
977,620100,075125,5395,247
1078,984102,586126,9204,868
1185,628109,280135,7073,258
1288,685113,648140,0592,907
1368,343100,910138,9477,579
1469,237101,012140,0386,793
1590,463117,700148,0283,959
16100,301125,663152,9365,255
17103,412129,171156,4114,492
18101,342125,500152,1883,414
1999,964124,983152,4972,295
20+107,199135,776164,1874,197

A typical 8-year-old Combo has ~91,322 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

Where in Britain the Vauxhall Combo fails its MOT most

Kirkcaldy area is highest at 55.9%; Uxbridge area is lowest at 30.0% — the gap is 25.9 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Where in Britain the Vauxhall Combo fails its MOT most — 2024 UK MOT data
Toughest areas% failingvs model overall
Kirkcaldy (KY)55.88%+13.1 pp
Dundee (DD)55.45%+12.7 pp
Llandrindod Wells (LD)53.86%+11.1 pp
Huddersfield (HD)53.15%+10.4 pp
Exeter (EX)52.72%+10.0 pp
Easiest areas% failingvs model overall
Uxbridge (UB)29.98%-12.8 pp
Romford (RM)31.29%-11.5 pp
London SW (SW)31.59%-11.2 pp
Enfield (EN)32.19%-10.6 pp
Ilford (IG)33.28%-9.5 pp

Why do areas differ?

For each external factor we correlate the area fail rate with the factor across postcode areas that have ≥800 tests of this family, then compare the bottom vs top fifth (quintile) of the factor. Correlation, not causation — factors travel together (the north is colder and often poorer; urban areas are denser and less salted). Road surface condition is joined now, for the 91 English areas the DfT publishes, and it explains nothing: the correlation with suspension failures is −0.01 and with body and structure failures 0.07. Potholes wreck wheels and tyres between tests, but by the time a car reaches the bay the road it drives on leaves no measurable trace.

In areas with the highest mot centre density this model fails 9.5 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.57, n=114 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest urban share this model fails 8.6 pp less often than in the lowest fifth (r=-0.45, n=114 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest frost days this model fails 4.0 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.28, n=114 areas with ≥800 tests).

Vauxhall Combo Why do areas differ? — 2024 UK MOT data
Values shown in the quintile chart
FactorLow QHigh QGapCorrelation
MOT centre density36.4%45.9%+9.5 ppr=0.57
Urban share45.5%36.9%-8.6 ppr=-0.45
Frost days41.3%45.3%+4.0 ppr=0.28

Factors that only mean something combined

Some conditions are useless on their own and informative multiplied together. Frost days alone say little — Britain barely freezes. Salt tonnage alone says little — it tracks frost. Distance to the sea alone says little. Multiply the first two and divide by the third and you get an index of how hard an area attacks a car's underside, and it lines up with the corrosion defects we actually record. We built five such combinations and tested each against our own data. Three survived; two did not, and the failures are listed here on purpose — a proxy that was never checked is decoration. One survivor only survived on the second attempt: built from a crude stand-in for street parking it failed outright, and rebuilt from the census — terraced streets carrying more cars than they have driveways — it works, and carries information the salt index does not.

Composite area indicators, each tested against a defect rate we measure
CompositeBuilt fromTested againstrVerdict
Underbody corrosionfrost days × salt load ÷ (distance to coast + 1)share of tests with a corrosion defect+0.42holds (116 areas)
Tyre wearrain days × annual miles ÷ age at first tyre advisoryshare of tests failing on tyres+0.45holds (116 areas)
Overnight corrosionterraced housing × cars per household × frost daysshare with a corrosion defect+0.41holds (102 areas) — and adds signal beyond the first index
Deferred maintenancedeprivation × advisory-to-failure conversion ÷ labour ratecars repeating the same advisory−0.26fails (118 areas)
Powertrain stressengine capacity ÷ kerb weightsuspension, brake and emissions failures−0.16fails (22 models)

The deprivation result is the one worth dwelling on. The intuition that poorer areas defer repairs is strong enough that most people treat it as established. We tested it twice — once on raw failure rates (r = 0.04) and again, more fairly, on whether an advisory turns into a failure — and it did not hold any of the three times we tried it — on raw failure rates, on advisory-to-failure conversion, and again with deprivation measured properly inside each nation rather than England alone. We are closing it. What does predict local failure rates is the density of test centres, which is a statement about testing, not about cars.

All external-factor correlations (machine-readable)
Factorrn areasLow-Q fail %High-Q fail %Gap ppLow-Q factorHigh-Q factor
MOT centre density (per 10k vehicles)0.57411436.445.9+9.558.8
Urban share (0–1)-0.45211445.536.9-8.60.41
Frost days (days/year)0.28211441.345.3+4.011.738.1
Road-salt proxy (g/m²-yr)0.27811439.945.7+5.8222.5675.1
Terrain gradient (% grade)0.2666842.445.9+3.60.53.7
Distance to coast (km)-0.20711446.142.9-3.25.879.5
Income deprivation (score)-0.0279641.641.8+0.20.10.2

Deprivation uses England IMD 2019 income score only (Scotland SIMD is a different scale). Salt proxy is a simplified NWSRG-style dry-salt sum from air Tmin; coastalness is distance from the area centroid to the nearest coastline.

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.

Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 33%–52% failing.

Vauxhall Combo survival: which cars are still on the road

By age 19 is well below the reference at 24.7%, against 100.0% at the ages 4–6 reference level.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Vauxhall Combo survival: which cars are still on the road — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: van age, years · survival vs ages 4–6 · scale 0–105%.

Survival vs fail rate by age
AgeTestsSurvival vs ages 4–6Fail %
352,683100%28.64%
447,205100%31.04%
540,297100%31.65%
628,34773.4%37.29%
728,70774.3%39.77%
833,80687.5%40.29%
936,56794.7%39.66%
1036,37894.2%41.11%
1140,481100%43.6%
1243,824100%45.95%
1345,697100%48.9%
1441,362100%51.43%
1535,89392.9%53.82%
1632,06683%54.84%
1723,63861.2%54.69%
1815,45240%54.85%
199,53424.7%54.48%

By age 19, only about 25% as many cars of this family present for MOT as at ages 4–6 (reference n≈38,616); survivors still fail at 54.5% vs 31.0% at age 4. Older cars that still appear are a selected subset — weaker ones have already left.

How many miles does a Vauxhall Combo last?

100,000+ miles is highest at 44.1%; 200,000+ miles is lowest at 2.5% — the gap is 41.6 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

OdometerTests ≥ thresholdShare of sample
100,000+ miles261,97344.11%
150,000+ miles81,82313.78%
200,000+ miles15,0582.54%

Of 593,945 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 44.1% had reached 100k miles, 13.8% had reached 150k miles, 2.5% had reached 200k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.

How many years is a Vauxhall Combo likely to last?

Bought at age 5 is highest at 11.8 years; Bought at age 15 is lowest at 2.7 years — the gap is 9.1 years.

bigger number = longer remaining lifeyears on the observed survival curve

Age nowTypical mileage (p50)Expected years left
5—11.8
8—10.7
10—8
12—5.5
15—at least 2.7

estimateEstimate only — not a warranty: a typical 10-year-old example of this family has about 8.0 expected years of further MOT-present life on the 2024 survival curve. Derived from how many cars of each age still appear for test, not from a longitudinal panel.

Vauxhall Combo faults that come together

Road Wheels + Seatbelts & SRS stand out at 4.37×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.

above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less

Group AGroup BTogetherLift
Road WheelsSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems894.37× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1704.32× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleRoad Wheels424.08× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1,3503.92×
Body, chassis, structureSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems2,2633.86×
Road WheelsTyres6703.8×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSteering1,4283.77×
Noise, emissions and leaksRoad Wheels3373.74× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSpeedometer and speed limiter223.71× (rough estimate)
BrakesSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems2,9363.67×
Identification of the vehicleNoise, emissions and leaks6203.56×
Body, chassis, structureNoise, emissions and leaks9,0263.47×
Identification of the vehicleSteering6643.46×
BrakesRoad Wheels6993.34×
BrakesIdentification of the vehicle1,3353.3×
Body, chassis, structureIdentification of the vehicle9643.25×
Body, chassis, structureSteering9,1393.2×
BrakesSteering12,4303.19×
Body, chassis, structureRoad Wheels4913.19× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems4,2753.13×
BrakesNoise, emissions and leaks10,8893.07×
Speedometer and speed limiterSteering203.07× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2,0883.02×
Road WheelsSteering2993.01× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleTyres1,0233×
Body, chassis, structureBrakes17,9702.98×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentRoad Wheels1,0602.97×
Body, chassis, structureSpeedometer and speed limiter302.97× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSteering4,8842.91×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSuspension3,9902.91×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSpeedometer and speed limiter682.89× (rough estimate)
SteeringSuspension18,4022.76×
SteeringTyres9,0652.76×
BrakesSpeedometer and speed limiter382.76× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaks16,3052.7×
Identification of the vehicleVisibility1,4132.63×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSteering17,1952.59×
BrakesTyres17,8622.58×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsTyres1,7322.57×
Noise, emissions and leaksTyres7,6422.56×
BrakesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment35,7722.55×
Identification of the vehicleSuspension1,7662.55×
BrakesSuspension35,4492.51×
Speedometer and speed limiterSuspension592.5× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment25,5052.48×
Noise, emissions and leaksSuspension15,0512.48×
Road WheelsVisibility6852.47×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsVisibility2,5682.42×
Body, chassis, structureSuspension24,8392.4×
Road WheelsSuspension8592.39×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentTyres28,1482.38×
Body, chassis, structureTyres12,0932.38×
Speedometer and speed limiterTyres272.33× (rough estimate)
SuspensionTyres26,7842.26×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSuspension53,2532.21×
Speedometer and speed limiterVisibility402.19× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksVisibility10,1812.17×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentVisibility40,1442.16×
SteeringVisibility10,8452.1×
BrakesVisibility22,7972.09×
TyresVisibility18,9152.06×
Body, chassis, structureVisibility16,4632.06×
SuspensionVisibility33,7571.81×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belt installation check19too few (rough estimate)
BrakesSeat belt installation check15too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSuspension15too few (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSeat belt installation check14too few (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSeat belt installation check9too few (rough estimate)
Buses and coaches supplementary testsSuspension9too few (rough estimate)
Buses and coaches supplementary testsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment8too few (rough estimate)
BrakesBuses and coaches supplementary tests7too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkVisibility7too few (rough estimate)
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSpeedometer and speed limiter6too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSteering6too few (rough estimate)

Defects in «Noise, emissions and leaks» and «Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems» appear together 3.92× more often than chance (1,350 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).

Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).

Is low mileage better for a Vauxhall Combo?

Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 24.2%, against 46.4% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

BandFail %Tests
<5k miles/year24.21%40,939
8–12k miles/year46.42%127,362
Gap (low − normal)-22.21 pp—
By fuel and age

Diesel

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
520.682,78031.7610,204-11.08 pp
625.421,71136.397,653-10.97 pp
728.921,60838.218,691-9.29 pp
819.213,20741.7610,363-22.56 pp
917.674,72543.8111,583-26.13 pp
1018.854,95944.9812,152-26.13 pp
1121.285,20148.7214,245-27.43 pp
1224.785,29551.816,572-27.03 pp
1329.815,41153.8917,884-24.08 pp
1436.764,16854.7116,856-17.95 pp

Petrol

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
512.475026.15455-13.75 pp
625.7110540.5179-14.79 pp
1038.0613438.8936-0.83 pp
1135.7116853.2362-17.51 pp
1234.2717854.81104-20.54 pp
1343.3716654.17120-10.79 pp
1440.2913952.76127-12.47 pp

At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 24.2% vs 46.4% for 8–12k miles/year — 22.2 pp lower (n_low=40,939, n_normal=127,362). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates. Diesel alone: 24.1% low-use vs 46.7% normal (-22.6 pp).

Which Vauxhall Combo engine is best?

diesel 1.5–1.8 is highest at 104.0; petrol 1.0–1.2 is lowest at 69.6 — the gap is 34.4 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Engine bands against this model's own failure rate at the same ages
FuelCapacityvs own age normRaw fail %Tests
petrol1.0–1.2 litre69.621.61%7,778
petrol1.2–1.5 litre8738.05%4,192 (rough estimate)
diesel1.8–2.0 litre87.634.47%409 (rough estimate)
diesel1.0–1.2 litre98.743.22%358,402
diesel1.2–1.5 litre99.230.3%57,403
petrol1.5–1.8 litre99.852.84%1,164 (rough estimate)
diesel1.5–1.8 litre10446.94%173,592

Splitting this model by fuel alone hides the thing that actually differs. Within the same badge, the diesel 1.5–1.8 runs at 104 against this model's own age norm while the petrol 1.0–1.2 runs at 69.6 — a spread of 34.4 points between two cars that share a name.

Read this one with more care than the rest of the page. Age is held constant, but who buys which engine is not: the largest capacity in a range is often a performance or executive variant that is garaged, cherished and lightly driven, while the smallest is frequently a fleet or entry car worked hard from new. The gap below is real in the test records; how much of it is the engine and how much is the owner, this data cannot separate. Bands under 100 tests are not shown; bands under 5,000 tests are rough estimates.

Best year for a Vauxhall Combo, and the years to avoid

Build year 2012 is highest at 113.3; Build year 1999 is lowest at 77.8 — the gap is 35.5 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected

Vauxhall Combo build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected — 2024 UK MOT data
Vauxhall Combo by build year, tests 2019–2024. Below 100 is better than the model's own age norm.
Every build year with its confidence interval
Build yearvs own age norm95% CIRaw fail %TestsVerdict
2020110.6108.2–113.131.99%24,229worse
201995.493.8–9728.13%47,762better
201898.695.5–101.730.89%12,261no different
201799.897.4–102.232.64%20,467no different
2016102.2100.4–104.135.27%33,027worse
2015101.7100–103.537.02%34,848no different
2014103.2101.4–10539.29%33,299worse
2013105.9103.8–107.942.54%23,155worse
2012113.3111.1–115.547.14%21,334worse
201188.687.4–89.938.15%52,455better
201087.486.2–88.639.08%49,269better
2009100.899.2–102.447.25%31,944no different
2008102.1100.8–103.450.17%47,474worse
2007103.6102.3–10553.02%41,738worse
2006102.7101.3–104.254.42%35,753worse
200599.998.3–101.554.35%27,636no different
2004102.6100.9–104.356.62%24,540worse
2003101.199.2–10356.13%19,618no different
2002100.497.3–103.555.54%7,420no different
200192.684.9–100.351.29%1,086no different
200092.581.5–103.451.3%538no different
199977.866.8–88.842.98%449better
199883.468–98.746.89%241better

The best build year here is 2010 and the weakest is 2012. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 12 of 23 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.

Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.

Vauxhall Combo MOT repair costs

The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £150.41 to £285.78, against £54.85 for the test itself.

bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only

MOT repairs, budget
£150–286
per test, repairs only
The test itself
£54.85
statutory cap, unchanged since 2010
How the figure is built: chance of failing × typical price of that repair
ComponentFails per 100 testsTypical repairIts priceContribution
Suspension32.2 (nat. 15.36)Suspension coil spring (single corner)£180£57.96
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment33.4 (nat. 18.09)Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid)£140£46.76
Brakes22.0 (nat. 11.25)Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback)£150£33.00
Tyres14.1 (nat. 8.7)Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted)£90£12.69

Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £150 to £286, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.

Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.

For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.

Vauxhall Combo running costs for a fleet

Vehicles failing at age 10 stand out at 42.0%, against 27.0% at age 5, tested in the same year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fails per 100 at age 5
27
vehicles needing work
At age 10
42
other cars of this model tested at age 10 in 2024
Repairs per 100
£15,041
plus £5,485 in test fees
Off the road
1d
median; 36.13% cleared same day
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
AgeFailsMedian odometerTestsGap vs age 5
329.9%43,66710,688+2.4 pp
431.52%50,55812,118+4.1 pp
527.47%52,62715,751+0.0 pp
631.04%62,6663,003+3.6 pp
738.4%79,3243,680+10.9 pp
840.52%91,3225,118+13.1 pp
941.59%100,0755,247+14.1 pp
1042.5%102,5864,868+15.0 pp
1145.92%109,2803,258+18.5 pp
1249.5%113,6482,907+22.0 pp
1341.55%100,9107,579+14.1 pp
1444.28%101,0126,793+16.8 pp
1550.9%117,7003,959+23.4 pp
1651.82%125,6635,255+24.4 pp
1751.94%129,1714,492+24.5 pp
1852.61%125,5003,414+25.1 pp
1951.98%124,9832,295+24.5 pp

The number a fleet manager needs is not the failure rate, it is the year the car starts costing more. Between cars aged 6 and cars aged 7, both tested in 2024, the failure rate of this model is 7.36 percentage points higher — the steepest one-year step in this cross-section of different cars, and a natural planning point for replacement.

Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.

Vauxhall Combo rust problems: where they corrode

Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility stands out at 3.7×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.

above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less

How it rusts
3.7×
2.83% of tests record a corrosion defect vs 0.77% typical — age-standardised
Salt Belt exposure
73rd
percentile among the models published here, from its tests across 114 postcode areas

This Vauxhall Combo fails on corrosion far more often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are saltier than most for the models we publish.

Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.

Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.

Does a Vauxhall Combo advisory become a failure?

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment are highest at 34.3%; Road wheels are lowest at 1.3% — the gap is 33.0 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now

Vauxhall Combo chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now — 2024 UK MOT data
Vauxhall Combo, advisory → failure conversion by component group, chained tests 2019–2024. Chart labels and rates: Lamps & electrical 34.3% · Suspension 29.8% · Brakes 19.2% · Body & chassis 18.6% · Steering 17% · Tyres 13.9% · Noise, emissions, leaks 8.8% · Seat belts & restraints 6.1%.
Advisory today → failure at the next test, with how long you have
ComponentFails next timeTypical lead timeMiles of warningAdvisories tracked
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment34.3%12.1 months5,75210,734
Suspension29.8%12.1 months5,53487,315
Brakes19.2%12.1 months5,295107,520
Body, chassis, structure18.6%12.1 months5,33028,104
Steering17.0%12.1 months5,73817,801
Tyres13.9%12.1 months6,100119,927
Noise, emissions and leaks8.8%12.1 months5,50444,913
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems6.0%12.1 months5,7103,421
Identification of the vehicle5.0%12.1 months6,45815,654
Road wheels1.3%12.1 months7,0606,774

This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.

Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 34 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12.1 months and roughly 5,752 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.

What will fail next on a Vauxhall Combo?

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a failure at age 15-19 are highest at 36.3%; Tyres after a passed at age <3 are lowest at 5.0% — the gap is 31.3 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

Probability of each component failing at the next test, by age and last result
AgeLast testMost likely next failuresCars tracked
<3passedVisibility 11.5% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.3% · Tyres 5.0%17,206
<3advisoryVisibility 16.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 12.4% · Brakes 7.6%7,389
<3failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.7% · Visibility 15.0% · Tyres 7.5%9,350
3-5passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.1% · Visibility 8.8% · Suspension 8.7%38,992
3-5advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.2% · Visibility 12.0% · Suspension 11.4%17,883
3-5failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.8% · Suspension 13.0% · Visibility 13.0%27,536
6-8passedSuspension 16.2% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.9% · Visibility 9.4%27,600
6-8advisorySuspension 22.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.8% · Visibility 14.1%18,404
6-8failureSuspension 25.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 23.2% · Visibility 16.8%30,656
9-11passedSuspension 13.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 11.3% · Visibility 8.6%31,236
9-11advisorySuspension 22.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 20.3% · Visibility 15.8%25,111
9-11failureSuspension 29.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 28.6% · Visibility 20.7%40,527
12-14passedSuspension 18.6% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.2% · Visibility 11.4%20,873
12-14advisorySuspension 27.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 23.7% · Visibility 18.0%27,554
12-14failureSuspension 31.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 30.7% · Visibility 22.2%47,335
15-19passedSuspension 21.4% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 20.3% · Brakes 13.7%9,844
15-19advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 28.2% · Suspension 28.0% · Visibility 19.5%19,622
15-19failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 36.3% · Suspension 33.3% · Brakes 24.4%35,003
20+passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.2% · Suspension 13.3% · Visibility 10.8%669
20+advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 32.2% · Suspension 24.3% · Visibility 19.3%997
20+failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 35.9% · Suspension 27.3% · Body, chassis, structure 22.4%1,555

The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.

The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.

Vauxhall Combo ownership: what six years of MOTs show

The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 60.1%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 3.8% — the gap is 56.3 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fixed same day
36.13%
of failures re-tested
Fails /10k miles
0.567
miles actually driven
Clean streaks
25.86%
3+ tests, nothing noted
Odometer anomaly
1.826%
reading went backwards

Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 189,749 failures followed through to their re-test, 36.13% were repaired and passed the same day and 60.09% within ten days; the median gap is 1 day. 626,773 defect items were cleared in the process.

Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.567 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 5,779 miles a year across 128,994 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.

Two populations hide inside one model. 25.86% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 36.55% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.

Odometer anomalies: 1.826% of 129,332 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 20,326 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.

Vauxhall Combo safety recalls and how to check yours

DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 35.

bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone

recall campaigns launched per year

Vauxhall Combo recall campaigns launched per year — 2024 UK MOT data
Campaigns launched per year for the Vauxhall Combo. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls. Chart values: 2012: 0 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 0 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 0 · 2017: 0 · 2018: 0 · 2019: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 4.
Most recent safety recall campaigns for the Vauxhall Combo
ReferenceLaunchedVehiclesConcern
R/2026/18227/04/20262,720BCM software missing telltale if LKA unavailable
R/2026/10713/03/20261,587Water pump pulley
R/2026/01921/01/202679Vauxhall Cross carline Fuel Injection common rail
R/2026/00402/01/202695Vauxhall Combo (K9) Wrong Wheel bolts
R/2026/00719/12/20254,066Vauxhall Vivaro (K0) Combo (K9) IVI software via OTA update.
All 35 campaigns
ReferenceLaunchedBuild datesVehiclesConcern
R/2026/18227/04/202615/04/2024 – 09/04/20252,720BCM software missing telltale if LKA unavailable
R/2026/10713/03/202615/10/2025 – 18/02/20261,587Water pump pulley
R/2026/01921/01/202626/07/2025 – 08/10/202579Vauxhall Cross carline Fuel Injection common rail
R/2026/00402/01/202629/09/2023 – 23/09/202595Vauxhall Combo (K9) Wrong Wheel bolts
R/2026/00719/12/202511/10/2023 – 03/07/20254,066Vauxhall Vivaro (K0) Combo (K9) IVI software via OTA update.
R/2025/53209/12/202520/11/2023 – 24/03/2025698Vauxhall Combo (K9) Headlamp Height Level Sensor
R/2025/45122/10/202528/10/2023 – 07/03/2024692Vauxhall Corsa Mokka Combo ESC software
R/2025/34218/08/202514/11/2017 – 13/12/2021582Emission recall – On Board Diagnostics
R/2025/29428/07/202510/11/2023 – 13/03/2025773Vauxhall Combo Tyre Pressure Label.
R/2025/24503/07/202514/11/2020 – 31/01/202332,012Vauxhall DV5R Engines Camshaft Chain.
R/2025/20911/06/202524/05/2024 – 07/06/20241Autonomous Telematics Box
R/2025/11924/03/202513/09/2022 – 29/11/2022348Traction Battery software
R/2025/08727/02/202515/04/2024 – 07/07/20244Autonomous Telematics Box failure after OTA update.
R/2024/19901/02/202401/04/2019 – 01/12/20191Vauxhall Combo 4x4 Transfer Box
R/2023/20723/06/202303/10/2022 – 15/03/20232Affected vehicles may have a tyre load index reported on the vehicle s CoC lower than the
R/2023/13909/05/202323/03/2021 – 19/11/202234,528On affected vehicles the AC compressor stator wiring could develop a fault leading to curr
R/2023/00817/01/202305/09/2022 – 01/12/20223,666There is an error in the software calibration of the traction battery control unit which c
R/2022/31903/11/202212/03/2018 – 17/09/2021507LOWER ENGINE PROTECTION COVER
R/2022/31803/11/202201/04/2021 – 20/09/20221,761LANE KEEPING ASSIST MODE
R/2021/14923/04/202120/02/2021 – 05/03/2021305IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE THE HANDBRAKE LEVER
R/2020/24220/08/202003/12/2019 – 28/01/2020299INCORRECT STEERING INNER TIE RODS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED
R/2019/38627/11/201914/09/2018 – 25/10/20197,178ON VEHICLES WITHOUT A PASSENGER AIRBAG THE SEAT BELT MAY NOT SUFFICIENTLY RETAIN THE PASSE
R/2019/40225/11/201922/06/2019 – 15/07/2019300STEERING COLUMN MAY NOT BE CORRECT TO SPECIFICATION
R/2019/16515/05/201925/06/2018 – 04/02/2019876THE PARKING BRAKE LEVER MIGHT NOT LOCK IN THE ENGAGED POSITION OR MIGHT DISENGAGE AFTER AP
R/2019/16415/05/201920/03/2018 – 13/01/2019740THE PARKING BRAKE LEVER MAY NOT LOCK OR MAY DISENGAGE AFTER APPLICATION
R/2019/11710/04/201920/02/2018 – 27/06/2018500VEHICLES MAY DELIVER A HIGHER DIESEL PARTICULATE RATE THAN SPECIFIED
R/2015/09105/06/201520/10/2003 – 25/07/200815,271FIRE MAY OCCUR
R/2013/00908/02/201304/07/2012 – 04/08/2012498REDUCTION IN BRAKING PERFORMANCE
R/2007/17117/12/200701/01/2003 – 21/11/2007345,634ABS MAY FAIL
R/2007/11810/09/2007557STEERING CONTROL MAY BE LOST
R/2006/00622/03/2006217,374WATER INGRESS INTO ABS WIRING MAY CAUSE A SHORT CIRCUIT AND A FIRE
R/2004/01911/03/2004144STEERING WHEEL CENTRE SCREW MAY NOT HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED CORRECTLY.
R/2001/00409/02/200101/01/1999 – 31/12/2000116,378SEAT BELT LATCHING CONCERN
R/2001/00509/02/200101/01/1993 – 31/12/1999586,554SEAT SECURITY CONCERN
R/1995/01224/03/199501/08/1991 – 28/02/1995601,1311) POSSIBLE STATIC SPARKING DURING REFUELLING (ASTRA MODELS ONLY) 2) AIR BAG SYSTEM MAY NO

DVSA lists 35 safety recall campaigns for the Vauxhall Combo, covering roughly 1,977,861 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.

Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.

Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.

Vauxhall Combo inspection results in other countries

Netherlands APK stands out at 65.5%, against 50.8% nationally.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Same model, different national inspection regimes
CountryTestThis model failsNational averagePositionSample
United KingdomMOT (class 4)39.53%26.01%+13.5 pp105,066
Netherlands (as the Opel Combo)APK65.5%50.8%+14.7 pp1,211

In Netherlands this model is sold as the Opel Combo; the figures in that row are for the Opel Combo in Netherlands's own inspection, which is not a UK MOT.

The verdict is consistent across every regime where the difference is clear, which is the strongest form this comparison takes: independent inspectorates, different rulebooks, same direction of travel.

The exact faults Netherlands records — APK defect codes, 2024
CodeFaultRecordedType
RA2Excessive leak of other fluids199advisory
205Tyre with insufficient tread189failure
210Tyre pressure not at the correct value186failure
115Exhaust not gas-tight or venting unsafely98failure
391Wipers leave insufficient visibility91failure
AC1Tyre down to 1.6–2.5 mm of tread80advisory
584Sidelight not working properly76failure
203Tyre damaged76failure

Worth dwelling on how mundane the top of that list is: tyre pressure, tread depth, headlight aim. The Dutch APK records 1.79 defects per inspection against a much higher national failure rate than Britain's, and the reason is not that Dutch cars are worse — it is that the two regimes draw the line between "note it" and "fail it" in different places. Codes are the RDW's own; the English wording here is our translation of the Dutch original.

Britain is not the only country that inspects every car every year, and the Vauxhall Combo is on the road in all of them. Each national regime writes its own rules, so the pass rates below are not comparable to each other — what does travel across a border is whether a model sits above or below its own country's average.

Rows with fewer than 500 inspections are not published. Sources: RDW open data — Meldingen Keuringsinstantie + Geconstateerde Gebreken + Gekentekende voertuigen (2024), CC0. Not an RDW endorsement.. Adapted; licences and full notice.

Vauxhall Combo MOT: quick answers

Vauxhall Combo MOT Risk Index stands out at 145.6, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

What is the Vauxhall Combo first-time MOT pass rate?
60.47% of first attempts passed in 2024 (105,066 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
Why does this number differ from other sites?
Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 39.53% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 105,066 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 145.6 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.

Compare the Vauxhall Combo with other cars

DS 3 is highest at 146.1; Dacia Sandero is lowest at 144.4 — the gap is 1.7 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Same brand

All Vauxhall MOT statisticsVauxhall Vivaro MOT statsVauxhall Mokka MOT stats

Similar risk

Peugeot Partner (index 145.6)DS 3 (index 146.1)Dacia Sandero (index 144.4)

Same size class

how Hyundai i30 compareshow DS 3 compareshow BMW X3 compares

By build year

Vauxhall Combo 1998Vauxhall Combo 1999Vauxhall Combo 2000Vauxhall Combo 2001Vauxhall Combo 2002Vauxhall Combo 2003Vauxhall Combo 2004Vauxhall Combo 2005Vauxhall Combo 2006Vauxhall Combo 2007Vauxhall Combo 2008Vauxhall Combo 2009Vauxhall Combo 2010Vauxhall Combo 2011Vauxhall Combo 2012Vauxhall Combo 2013Vauxhall Combo 2014Vauxhall Combo 2015Vauxhall Combo 2016Vauxhall Combo 2017Vauxhall Combo 2018Vauxhall Combo 2019Vauxhall Combo 2020

By area

Vauxhall Combo MOT failure rate by postcode area

By failure group

Vauxhall Combo body, chassis and structure failuresVauxhall Combo brakes failuresVauxhall Combo vehicle identification failuresVauxhall Combo lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresVauxhall Combo noise, emissions and leaks failuresVauxhall Combo road wheels failuresVauxhall Combo seat belts and airbags failuresVauxhall Combo steering failuresVauxhall Combo suspension failuresVauxhall Combo tyres failuresVauxhall Combo visibility failures

Inspections abroad

Vauxhall Combo in the Netherlands


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 dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:vauxhall-combo:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.

Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Vauxhall Combo MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/vauxhall-combo/ · Published 2026-07-30.