The picture
C5: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 25,909 MOT tests, the C5 returns 76.1% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A missing CV-joint boot and a split CV-joint boot round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 70,282, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
1,592 occurrences · 6.1% of tests
- 02
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
1,144 occurrences · 4.4% of tests
- 03
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
996 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
- 04
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
678 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 05
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
664 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
- 06
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
614 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
- 07
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
552 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 08
A tyre cords visible or damaged
502 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 09
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
486 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 10
A tyre seriously damaged
457 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£68–£130
If every one of this C5's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Owner reports · Honest John
What owners actually report.
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Equipped with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch HD touchscreen, the C5 Aircross features a wireless inductive charging function for smartphones as well as an array of cutting-edge driving aids, including Active Safety Brake, Active Lane Departure Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop Function.
Where it falls short
Prices start at £23,225 MRRP OTR. The official UK ‘on sale’ date for New C5 Aircross SUV was 4-2-2019, with order books opening across the Citroën dealer network on 3-12-2018\.
Buying or keeping a C5?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a C5 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.