Does the Vauxhall Nova fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Vauxhall Nova records 15.73 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 20.28 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.55, 95% interval −5.71 to −3.38). It ranks 559 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 Nova by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Nova 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 200 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. | 200 | 3.48 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 117 | 2.04 |
| Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 85 | 1.48 |
| A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched | 64 | 1.11 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 57 | 0.99 |
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 body, chassis and structure 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