Vauxhall Vectra 1998: MOT failure rate for its age

45.3% of 1,067 MOT tests of the Vauxhall Vectra first registered in 1998 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 99.1 (95% CI 90.3–107.9; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1998 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Vauxhall Vectra built in 1998 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	45.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	1067
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 90.3–107.9)	99.1	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	1067
Rank among this model's 12 build years	8	of 12	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	1067
Tested in 2024	5	tests	median 81,288 miles	2024	5

Built 1998 against Vauxhall Vectra normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 21: 47% vs 48.1%; age 22: 42.7% vs 42.2%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 1998 Vauxhall Vectra by registration · All Vauxhall Vectra 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 1998 Vauxhall Vectra fail at each age?

Cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22 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.

Vauxhall Vectra built 1998: 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)
21	634	47	43.1–50.9	48.1	97.7
22	433 (rough estimate)	42.7	38.1–47.4	42.2	101.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,067 (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 1998 Vauxhall Vectra?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1998 is suspension: 25.7 items per 100 first tests, against 40.3 across all build years of the Vauxhall Vectra. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1998 were tested at ages 21 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Vauxhall Vectra built 1998 against the Vauxhall Vectra in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 1998, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	25.7	40.3	493
Brakes	25	36.8	479
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	23.3	37.7	447
Noise, emissions and leaks	18.9	10.2	361
Body, chassis, structure	14.9	12.6	285

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,915 (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 1998 compare with the years around it?

Among the 12 published build years of the Vauxhall Vectra, 1998 ranks 8 (1 = fails least for its age). 1999: index 96.1.

Vauxhall Vectra build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1998	99.1	90.3–107.9	no different (rough estimate)	1,067
1999	96.1	90.3–101.8	no different (rough estimate)	2,393
2000	96.5	92.3–100.8	no different	4,426
2001	98.4	95.1–101.8	no different	6,980
2002	99.4	96.3–102.4	no different	8,565
2003	104.2	101.6–106.8	worse	12,375
2004	103.4	101.4–105.3	worse	21,400
2005	101.8	100.2–103.3	worse	33,483
2006	98.0	96.9–99.1	better	60,064
2007	97.7	96.8–98.6	better	95,404
2008	96.4	95.6–97.3	better	99,861
2009	94.7	92.6–96.8	better	16,449

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 362,467 (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). Vauxhall Vectra 1998 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/vauxhall-vectra/1998/

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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