Citroen Xantia MOT reliability

Citroen Xantias passed their MOT first time 61% of the time across 330 tests in 2025. 234 are still licensed in Great Britain.

First-time pass rate

61%

MOTs analysed

330

Still licensed (GB)

234

Body type

–

Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

1998 petrol

23 MOTs

These figures come from 23 MOT tests. That's a fairly small number of cars, so they may not be typical of these cars as a whole.

Passed first time 56%. Typical mileage 89,863 (most between 68,044 and 107,837).

2005: 66% → 2006: 62% → 2007: 56% → 2008: 54% → 2009: 51% → 2010: 50% → 2011: 51% → 2012: 48% → 2013: 49% → 2014: 52% → 2015: 56% → 2016: 54% → 2017: 53% → 2018: 57% → 2019: 48% → 2020: 60% → 2021: 52% → 2022: 50% → 2023: 62% → 2024: 54% → 2025: 56%

Most common failures

Headlamp aim not tested: unable to be tested (8.7%)
Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases (8.7%)
Position lamp: not working (8.7%)
Washers: not working (8.7%)
Headlamp: not working on dipped beam (8.7%)

1998 diesel

20 MOTs

These figures come from 20 MOT tests. That's a fairly small number of cars, so they may not be typical of these cars as a whole.

Passed first time 75%. Typical mileage 119,392 (most between 101,955 and 153,100).

2005: 65% → 2006: 64% → 2007: 59% → 2008: 54% → 2009: 52% → 2010: 51% → 2011: 51% → 2012: 50% → 2013: 49% → 2014: 49% → 2015: 55% → 2016: 50% → 2017: 56% → 2018: 56% → 2019: 61% → 2020: 63% → 2021: 56% → 2022: 58% → 2023: 56% → 2024: 56% → 2025: 75%

Most common failures

Other components: component leaking (10.0%)
Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (10.0%)
Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (10.0%)
Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (10.0%)
Hydraulic fluid leaks: fluid leaking excessively (5.0%)

Where 1998 Xantias fail

Lights & electrics

21.7%

Brakes

13.0%

Suspension & axles

13.0%

Visibility & wipers

13.0%

Body, structure & corrosion

8.7%

Wheels & tyres

8.7%

Steering

4.3%

Exhaust, emissions & leaks

4.3%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.