28.5%
Rigid brake pipe
A rigid metal brake pipe is corroded, damaged, kinked, or leaking. These permanently fixed pipes carry pressurised brake fluid — any weakness is a serious safety concern.
MOT wording: Brake pipe corroded or covered in grease
ChevroletUsed-car reliability
How reliable is a used Chevrolet?
Here's how a used Chevrolet holds up at the MOT, model by model.
What actually goes wrong
What breaks on Chevrolet cars
The most common MOT faults across the Chevrolet range, in plain English. Models with more MOT tests count for more. The percentage is the share of MOT tests on Chevrolet cars that recorded that defect.
25.8%
Fluid leak
The vehicle is leaking a fluid — oil, coolant, fuel or hydraulic. A slight seep is common on older cars; a continuous drip is both a road hazard and a sign of something failing.
MOT wording: Oil leak, but not excessive
24.9%
Suspension joint, pin or bush
A suspension ball joint, pin, or rubber bush is worn or has excessive play. These are the pivot points and flexible mountings that let the suspension move — wear causes knocking sounds and vague steering.
MOT wording: Suspension arm pin or bush worn, but not moving too much
23.1%
Tyre condition
A tyre is worn, cut, damaged or otherwise not fit for the road. Tyres are the only thing connecting the car to the road, so this is always worth taking seriously.
MOT wording: Tyre worn close to the legal limit or worn on the edge
Across all Chevrolet models; models with more MOT tests count for more.
The whole range
Every Chevrolet that ranks, in plain English
For each model, one number: the share of its MOT tests at 7 years old that ended in a fail. Retests count as tests. Lower is better. The UK average (about 1 in 6 MOTs, 16.6%) is shown for reference. Only models with enough MOT data at 7 years old are ranked. The rest sit just below, unranked.
0 models
Fail rates are the share of MOT tests on 7-year-old cars ending in a fail, retests included (DVSA MOT results, 2025). UK average across all makes at the same age: 16.6%. How we count fail rates
Not directly comparable with the figures at 7 years old
Shown unranked. These models don’t have enough MOT data at 7 years old yet. They’re either too new (few cars old enough) or too old (few still on the road). Each is shown at the age with the most tests, so the percentages aren’t directly comparable to the list above.
Too old to rankChevrolet Trax
27.5%fail rate at 11 years old · 1,295 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Cruze
30.0%fail rate at 13 years old · 1,752 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Orlando
30.8%fail rate at 13 years old · 2,078 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Matiz
33.4%fail rate at 16 years old · 3,186 MOT tests
Too old to rank
Chevrolet Spark
33.6%fail rate at 13 years old · 5,068 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Captiva
34.9%fail rate at 14 years old · 1,668 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Lacetti
35.7%fail rate at 16 years old · 543 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Aveo
37.1%fail rate at 15 years old · 2,390 MOT tests
Too old to rankChevrolet Kalos
37.4%fail rate at 17 years old · 932 MOT tests
Looking at one in particular?
Averages tell you the odds across the range. Enter a number plate to see that car’s own MOT history, its risk rating, and what’s likely to need attention.