Does the Vauxhall Nova fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Vauxhall Nova records 14.49 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 15.04 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.55, 95% interval −1.55 to +0.46). It ranks 343 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Vauxhall Nova by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Nova is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 231 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 231 | 4.02 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 149 | 2.60 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 126 | 2.20 |
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 73 | 1.27 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 70 | 1.22 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 5,740 (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
Other pages for this model
Vauxhall Nova by postcode area · Vauxhall Nova brakes failures · Vauxhall Nova lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Nova noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Nova seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Nova steering failures · Vauxhall Nova suspension failures · Vauxhall Nova tyres failures · Vauxhall Nova visibility failures