MOT cost .
Vauxhall Zafira
MOT 2023
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Vauxhall

Zafira

294,623 MOT tests analysed. runs below the UK fleet average — here's where Zafiras pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 6.6 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

69.1%

Pass-after-fix

5.9%

Fail

24.4%

Avg miles

92,081

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

The picture

Seven seats, 69% pass rate, some hard arithmetic

69.13% first-time pass across 294,623 tests is one of the lower figures in this batch, and the Zafira arrives at the MOT centre with an average 92,081 miles on the clock. Fractured springs sit at the top of the failure list, followed by rear number-plate lamps and tyre tread — the classic cluster of deferred maintenance on a high-mileage family car. Owner reports fill in the gaps: a 2016 Tourer CDTI that needed a new AdBlue module and pump at £1,400 (which Vauxhall disputed covering), and a 2012 Elite Auto whose LED running-light cluster developed an intermittent fault that the car failed on because the individual LED bulbs are sealed and non-replaceable. At this mileage, factor spring replacement and AdBlue system condition into the purchase check before the MOT does it for you.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

  1. 01

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    15,880 occurrences · 5.4% of tests

  2. 02

    A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

    13,344 occurrences · 4.5% of tests

  3. 03

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    9,751 occurrences · 3.3% of tests

  4. 04

    a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

    9,108 occurrences · 3.1% of tests

  5. 05

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    8,613 occurrences · 2.9% of tests

  6. 06

    Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

    7,203 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

  7. 07

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    7,109 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

  8. 08

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    7,090 occurrences · 2.4% of tests

  9. 09

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    6,749 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  10. 10

    Exhaust system leaking or insecure

    5,810 occurrences · 2.0% 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 4 failures

£228–£530

If every one of this Zafira'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 →

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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

Item 03 · Amazon UK

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

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

Enjoyable and comfortable to drive, some really good engine choices, does a decent job on practicality.

Recent owner-reported faults

  1. 6 Jan 2020

    Report of engine problem with 2015 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 1.4 1.4T 140 Auto SE, owned from new. Just before service due in 2019 it indicated oil change needed. Owner took it to independent for service and oil change, no problems until New Year’s Eve driving home on A1 and lost power, car didn’t want to accelerate. Driver put foot to the floor. Eventually it picked up through the gears but very slowly. There was a slight rattle coming from one side of the engine. Decided to pull over, checked the oil and it was almost empty. Car indicating 19% oil, topped it up, rattle eased off, drove a further 100 yards noise got worse power dipped again then white smoke and car died. Waiting for Vauxhall garage diagnostics. Seems to be the engine problem for which there was a manufacturer recall on 21-2-2018.

  2. 30 Aug 2019

    Report of engine management light and service warning message on 48k mile February 2016 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer SRI CDTI 1.6. Always dealer serviced on time. AdBlue always added when light came on. Dealer diagnosed need for new AdBlue module and pump at a cost of £1,400. Vauxhall refused to contribute.

  3. 9 Nov 2018

    Report of 2012 Zafira Tourer Elite Auto with 23,000 miles fitted with LED DRLs within a cluster as assemblies. The LED bulbs cannot be replaced. One Running light in an assembly has an intermittent fault and sometimes is not lit. The car failed its MoT because of this fault. Vauxhall eventually refunded the whole cost of the replacement Light Assambly as a Goodwill gesture.

  4. 30 Apr 2018

    Another Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 1.4T owner reported the same symptions as 11-1-2018.

  5. 4 Mar 2018

    Report of electric rear hatch lock of 2014 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer unlocking intermittently whil driving. Owner worries that it is a safety issue that could mean a load deck of heavy items being ejected onto the road. Probably moisture in the hatch lock servo, but too worrying to suggest that a squirt of WD40 might fix it.

  6. 28 Feb 2018

    Report of exhaust sensor failing 9 days after used purchase on 2015 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2.0CDTI. Sensor replaced, but then failed again a further 8 days later and after being fixed failed 3 days adfter that. Dealer has agreed to swop the car but has muttered things like “there is a known recall on these sensors, can we fix it?”

  7. 11 Jan 2018

    Report of December 2016 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer suffering an intermitten misfire with water dripping from the middle of the engine area. Possible fracture sending coolant onto the coil packs?

  8. 6 Nov 2017

    Report of glowplug no 4 failing in engine of 2015 Vauxhaull Zafira Tourer 2.0CDTI at 36,000 miles. Car had been serviced at 33.500 miles, but service light came on at 36,000 miles. Two fault codes found relating to engine overboost and cylinder 4 glow plug malfunction control circuit. Required replacement of cylinder 4 plug. Quoted £180-£200 to replace, but this should be under warranty.

  9. 21 Feb 2017

    Report of EGR cooler failing on 2014/64 Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2.0CDTI, leaving oil in the coolant and a mess on the owner's driveway. Repaired under warranty with instructions to bring back in a month to re-flush the cooling system. Owner thinks the heater is not as effective as before.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 9 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a Zafira?

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 Zafira 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.