The picture
Vaneo: a below-average pass rate worth digging into
Across 636 MOT tests, the Vaneo returns 64.0% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A defective headlamp lens and a split CV-joint boot round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 78,885, 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
44 occurrences · 6.9% of tests
- 02
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
42 occurrences · 6.6% of tests
- 03
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated
42 occurrences · 6.6% of tests
- 04
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
30 occurrences · 4.7% of tests
- 05
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
27 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
- 06
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
27 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
- 07
An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction
24 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
- 08
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
23 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
- 09
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
23 occurrences · 3.6% of tests
- 10
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
19 occurrences · 3.0% 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 3 failures
£98–£355
If every one of this Vaneo'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
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Vaneo?
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 Vaneo 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.