Does the Vauxhall Viva fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Vauxhall Viva records 1.80 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 4.63 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.83, 95% interval −2.93 to −2.74). It ranks 493 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 Viva by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Viva is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 1,778 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 1,778 | 0.88 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 237 | 0.12 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 229 | 0.11 |
| 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. | 228 | 0.11 |
| Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution. | 166 | 0.08 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 201,368 (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
If a Vauxhall Viva gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
5.5% of Vauxhall Viva MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,571 miles later (9,943 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 9,943 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Vauxhall Viva 2015 · Vauxhall Viva 2016 · Vauxhall Viva 2017 · Vauxhall Viva 2018 · Vauxhall Viva 2019 · Vauxhall Viva in Finland · Vauxhall Viva in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Viva by postcode area · Vauxhall Viva body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Viva vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Viva lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Viva noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Viva road wheels failures · Vauxhall Viva seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Viva steering failures · Vauxhall Viva suspension failures · Vauxhall Viva tyres failures · Vauxhall Viva visibility failures