Citroen C5 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on a Citroen C5 in Great Britain in 2025 — 18,836 tests. Figures cover every C5 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the C5 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
73.2%
0.9 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
18,836
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
8.2%
of C5 first tests; national 7.3%

How many Citroen C5 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 41,790 Citroen C5 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 36,436 taxed and 5,354 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. Citroen C5 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures. DVLA's count for the C5 also includes the C5 Aircross, which the licensing data does not record under a name of its own, so it is wider than the MOT figures above.

Still taxed, end of 2025
36,436
87.2% of the 41,790 C5 cars taxed or on SORN; 140 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
5,354
declared off the road by their keepers — 12.8% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed C5 cars peaked at 42,452 at the end of 2014 and has since fallen by 6,016 (14.2%) to 36,436 at the end of 2025. Cars on SORN went from 2,324 at the end of 2014 to 5,354 at the end of 2025, up 130.4%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed C5 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

010k20k30k40k50k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed C5 cars, year 2014: 42kTaxed C5 cars, year 2015: 37kTaxed C5 cars, year 2016: 32kTaxed C5 cars, year 2017: 27kTaxed C5 cars, year 2018: 23kTaxed C5 cars, year 2019: 26kTaxed C5 cars, year 2020: 28kTaxed C5 cars, year 2021: 29kTaxed C5 cars, year 2022: 30kTaxed C5 cars, year 2023: 34kTaxed C5 cars, year 2024: 36kTaxed C5 cars, year 2025: 36k36k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed C5 cars
201442,452
201537,241
201632,317
201727,154
201822,679
201925,539
202027,694
202128,924
202230,331
202334,197
202435,707
202536,436

C5 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

02k4k6k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)C5 cars on SORN, year 2014: 2kC5 cars on SORN, year 2015: 3kC5 cars on SORN, year 2016: 4kC5 cars on SORN, year 2017: 4kC5 cars on SORN, year 2018: 4kC5 cars on SORN, year 2019: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2020: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2021: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2022: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2023: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2024: 5kC5 cars on SORN, year 2025: 5k5k
View this chart as a table
YearC5 cars on SORN
20142,324
20152,994
20163,691
20174,040
20184,203
20194,574
20205,013
20214,920
20224,989
20235,206
20245,239
20255,354

Which model years survive

Taxed C5 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 36,436 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed C5 cars
20252,3116.3%
20243,5249.7%
20236,12816.8%
20223,65710.0%
20213,67810.1%
20205,04613.8%
20196,44317.7%
20114511.2%
20108212.3%
20091,1313.1%
20087252.0%
All other build years (13 years, each under 1%)2,5216.9%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name C5 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the C5 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, C5 vs all cars, 2025.

Citroen C5All cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)Citroen C5, vehicle age 4: 86.6%Citroen C5, vehicle age 5: 82.2%Citroen C5, vehicle age 6: 79.8%Citroen C5, vehicle age 15: 56.4%Citroen C5, vehicle age 16: 52.9%Citroen C5, vehicle age 17: 54.9%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%All cars 57.6%Citroen C5 54.9%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)C5 testsC5 pass rateAll cars
483086.6%87.2%
54,91682.2%86.0%
66,59879.8%83.5%
1594256.4%59.3%
161,32052.9%58.3%
1786554.9%57.2%

Better or worse than the average car?

The C5's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the C5 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

C5 behind
-6-3+0+3+6Age 4: -0.6 points vs the average carAge 5: -3.8 points vs the average car5Age 6: -3.7 points vs the average carAge 15: -2.9 points vs the average car15Age 16: -5.4 points vs the average carAge 17: -2.3 points vs the average car17Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
4-0.6
5-3.8
6-3.7
15-2.9
16-5.4
17-2.3

The C5 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the C5 fleet still in use.

01k3k5k7kAge 4: 8304Age 5: 4kAge 6: 6k6Age 15: 942Age 16: 1k16Age 17: 86517Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
4830
54,916
66,598
15942
161,320
17865

What a C5 fails on

Where the failure items land when a C5 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment28.9%
Brakes16.0%
Suspension15.4%
Tyres14.3%
Body, chassis, structure9.8%
Visibility5.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks4.2%
Steering3.6%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (98.1% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a C5, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 35.6% of advisories35.6%Brakes: 32.1% of advisories32.1%Suspension: 13.5% of advisories13.5%Non-component advisories: 6.4% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 5.0% of advisoriesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 2.1% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres35.6%
Brakes32.1%
Suspension13.5%
Non-component advisories6.4%
Noise, emissions and leaks5.0%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment2.1%

Petrol, diesel or hybrid C5?

First-time pass rate for the two most-tested C5 fuel types, 2025, against the all-cars average. Fleet ages differ by fuel — newer fleets help the electrified bars.

50%60%70%80%90%100%all cars 72.3%Diesel: 68.5% of 11,069 tests68.5%Diesel11,069 testsPetrol: 79.9% of 7,715 tests79.9%Petrol7,715 tests
View this chart as a table
FuelTestsPass rate
Diesel11,06968.5%
Petrol7,71579.9%

What mileage is normal for a C5?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) C5; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical C5 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k125k150k461617Vehicle age (years)Age 4: typical 31,250 miles (middle half 21,250–43,750)Age 5: typical 36,250 miles (middle half 26,250–48,750)Age 6: typical 43,750 miles (middle half 31,250–53,750)Age 15: typical 116,250 miles (middle half 93,750–138,750)Age 16: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 96,250–146,250)Age 17: typical 118,750 miles (middle half 93,750–143,750)118k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
421,25031,25043,750
526,25036,25048,750
631,25043,75053,750
1593,750116,250138,750
1696,250118,750146,250
1793,750118,750143,750

What fails at each age

The C5's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresBrakesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentBody, chassis, structureVisibilitySuspensionEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres34.8%
3-5 yrsBrakes23.8%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.2%
3-5 yrsBody, chassis, structure5.9%
3-5 yrsVisibility5.6%
3-5 yrsEverything else10.7%
6-9 yrsTyres28.1%
6-9 yrsBrakes27.3%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.2%
6-9 yrsBody, chassis, structure7.5%
6-9 yrsSuspension4.8%
6-9 yrsEverything else10.1%
10-13 yrsSuspension29.4%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment20.6%
10-13 yrsBody, chassis, structure17.0%
10-13 yrsBrakes12.5%
10-13 yrsTyres10.8%
10-13 yrsEverything else9.7%
14+ yrsSuspension23.1%
14+ yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.4%
14+ yrsBrakes15.1%
14+ yrsBody, chassis, structure12.2%
14+ yrsTyres9.1%
14+ yrsEverything else18.1%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.