Does the Vauxhall Zafira fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Vauxhall Zafira records 16.93 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 13.54 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.39, 95% interval +3.33 to +3.46). It ranks 167 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 Zafira by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Vauxhall Zafira is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 61,938 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 61,938 | 3.85 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 41,786 | 2.60 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 28,798 | 1.79 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 21,256 | 1.32 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 17,217 | 1.07 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,608,690 (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 Zafira gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
15.3% of Vauxhall Zafira MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,723 miles later (323,906 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 323,906 (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 Zafira 1999 · Vauxhall Zafira 2000 · Vauxhall Zafira 2001 · Vauxhall Zafira 2002 · Vauxhall Zafira 2003 · Vauxhall Zafira 2004 · Vauxhall Zafira 2005 · Vauxhall Zafira 2006 · Vauxhall Zafira 2007 · Vauxhall Zafira 2008 · Vauxhall Zafira 2009 · Vauxhall Zafira 2010 · Vauxhall Zafira 2011 · Vauxhall Zafira 2012 · Vauxhall Zafira 2013 · Vauxhall Zafira 2014 · Vauxhall Zafira 2015 · Vauxhall Zafira 2016 · Vauxhall Zafira 2017 · Vauxhall Zafira 2018 · Vauxhall Zafira in Norway · Vauxhall Zafira in Finland · Vauxhall Zafira in the Netherlands · Vauxhall Zafira by postcode area · Vauxhall Zafira body, chassis and structure failures · Vauxhall Zafira vehicle identification failures · Vauxhall Zafira lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Vauxhall Zafira noise, emissions and leaks failures · Vauxhall Zafira road wheels failures · Vauxhall Zafira seat belts and airbags failures · Vauxhall Zafira steering failures · Vauxhall Zafira suspension failures · Vauxhall Zafira tyres failures · Vauxhall Zafira visibility failures