Caterham Seven build years & generations
The Caterham Seven spans several build years and named generations (1974-present). Match a build year to its generation, then see how each group of build years does at its MOT.
Which year is which
Build years & generations, side by side
Find the build years you're looking at and see which generation they are. You'll also see which group of build years the MOT figures come from.
Built 1974-1998
- Generation
- S3
- Figures from
- cars built before 2005
Counted together with S3 and Series 3 (live axle era) cars built in the same years.
Built 1999-2004
- Generation
- Series 3 (live axle era)
- Figures from
- cars built before 2005
Counted together with S3 and Series 3 (live axle era) cars built in the same years.
Built 2005
- Generation
- Series 3 (live axle era)
- Figures from
- cars built 2005-2008
Counted together with Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis cars built in the same years.
Built 2006-2008
- Generation
- SV chassis
- Figures from
- cars built 2005-2008
Counted together with Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis cars built in the same years.
Built 2009-2012
- Generation
- SV chassis
- Figures from
- cars built 2009-2012
Counted with this generation only.
Built 2013-2016
- Generation
- SV chassis
- Figures from
- cars built 2013-2016
Counted with this generation only.
Built 2017-2020
- Generation
- SV chassis
- Figures from
- cars built 2017-2020
Counted with this generation only.
Built 2021+
- Generation
- SV chassis
- Figures from
- cars built 2021 onwards
Counted with every car built from 2021.
“Figures from” is the group of build years behind each card's MOT figures. Years where one generation gave way to the next can sit in a wider group until there's enough history to split them.
By build-year group
How each group of build years performs
Each card shows MOT results for one group of Caterham Seven build years. “Age” means the car's age on the day of its MOT, not its build year. “25+” groups every test on cars aged 25 or older.
Built2009-2012
SV chassis only
These build years are all SV chassis, so the figures are almost all from that generation.
Fail rate at 15 years old (latest age)
12.0%
UK average for cars this age: about 3 in 10 (29.9%)
Ages with data
13 to 15 years old
MOT tests counted
101
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
2009-2012
SV chassis only
These build years are all SV chassis, so the figures are almost all from that generation.
Fail rate at 15 years old (latest age)
12.0%
UK average for cars this age: about 3 in 10 (29.9%)
Ages with data
13 to 15 years old
MOT tests counted
101
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
Fail rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. How we count fail rates Highest fail rate at 15 years old.
Built2005-2008
A mix of Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis
These build years include both Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis cars, so the figures are less exact than for a single generation.
Fail rate at 19 years old (latest age)
12.2%
UK average for cars this age: about 3 in 10 (30.8%)
Ages with data
17 to 19 years old
MOT tests counted
219
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
2005-2008
A mix of Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis
These build years include both Series 3 (live axle era) and SV chassis cars, so the figures are less exact than for a single generation.
Fail rate at 19 years old (latest age)
12.2%
UK average for cars this age: about 3 in 10 (30.8%)
Ages with data
17 to 19 years old
MOT tests counted
219
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
Fail rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. How we count fail rates Highest fail rate at 19 years old.
BuiltBefore 2005
A mix of S3 and Series 3 (live axle era)
These build years include both S3 and Series 3 (live axle era) cars, so the figures are less exact than for a single generation.
Fail rate at 25+ years old
11.2%
UK average for cars this age: about 1 in 4 (23%)
Ages with data
21 to 25+ years old
MOT tests counted
990
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
Before 2005
A mix of S3 and Series 3 (live axle era)
These build years include both S3 and Series 3 (live axle era) cars, so the figures are less exact than for a single generation.
Fail rate at 25+ years old
11.2%
UK average for cars this age: about 1 in 4 (23%)
Ages with data
21 to 25+ years old
MOT tests counted
990
Chart shows
Age at the MOT
Not the build year
Fail rate is the share of MOT tests that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. How we count fail rates Highest fail rate at 23 years old.