Vauxhall Vectra 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

51.0% of 12,375 MOT tests of the Vauxhall Vectra first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 104.2 (95% CI 101.6–106.8; 100 = normal for this model at that age): close to other build years of the same model at the same age (within 5 points of normal).

Vauxhall Vectra built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	51.0	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	12375
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 101.6–106.8)	104.2	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	12375
Rank among this model's 12 build years	12	of 12	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	12375
Tested in 2024	668	tests	median 106,667 miles	2024	668

Built 2003 against Vauxhall Vectra normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 53.5% vs 52.4%; age 17: 50.6% vs 48.3%; age 18: 50.6% vs 47.4%; age 19: 47.8% vs 45.8%; age 20: 48.9% vs 44.9%; age 21: 44.8% vs 42.7%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 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 2003 Vauxhall Vectra fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 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 2003: 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)
16	4,735	53.5	52.1–54.9	52.4	102.1
17	2,772	50.6	48.8–52.5	48.3	104.8
18	1,912	50.6	48.3–52.8	47.4	106.6
19	1,336	47.8	45.2–50.5	45.8	104.4
20	952	48.9	45.8–52.1	44.9	109.1
21	668	44.8	41–48.6	42.7	104.7

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,375 (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 2003 Vauxhall Vectra?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 47.9 items per 100 first tests, against 37.7 across all build years of the Vauxhall Vectra. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Vauxhall Vectra built 2003 against the Vauxhall Vectra in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	47.9	37.7	5,923
Suspension	45.3	40.3	5,606
Brakes	41.8	36.8	5,175
Body, chassis, structure	18.7	12.6	2,318
Visibility	15.2	13.7	1,885

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 12,375 (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 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 12 published build years of the Vauxhall Vectra, 2003 ranks 12 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 99.4. 2004: index 103.4.

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 2003 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/2003/

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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