2,754 cars · 4,342 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Nissan Skyline MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Nissan Skyline in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025 found: how often they fail, what testers flag, which faults owners leave, and how many never came back after failing.
Every Skyline on the MOT record, GT-R or not, from any generation.
14%
failed their first MOT test
61% lower than the UK average for their age
21.3 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
30%
of tests had at least one advisory
All cars: 52%
11%
of tests mention corrosion
All cars: 12%
Failure rate by age
Share of initial tests that failed, by the car’s age at the test, against all UK cars of the same age.
- 0–4 years76 tests9.2%vs 13%
- 5–9 years567 tests12%vs 22%
- 10–14 years274 tests9.1%vs 35%
- 15–19 years954 tests16%vs 43%
- 20–24 years850 tests16%vs 42%
- 25–29 years1,087 tests12%vs 35%
- 30+ years534 tests16%vs 26%
Most common advisories on a Nissan Skyline
Things the tester noticed that weren’t bad enough to fail. Share of initial tests, against all UK cars.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge6.6%vs 16%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material4.0%vs 3.8%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive4.0%vs 4.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened3.7%vs 8.9%
- Brake pads (brake linings and pads): wearing thin2.8%vs 7.6%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement2.5%vs 5.3%
- Track rod end (steering linkage components): ball joint has slight play2.3%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing2.2%vs 8.8%
- Exhaust system: noisy2.0%
- Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play1.9%
Most common MOT failures on a Nissan Skyline
Share of initial tests that failed on each item, including faults fixed during the test.
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits1.7%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits1.4%
- Rear fog lamp: not working1.4%
- Position lamp: not working1.1%vs 2.5%
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect1.1%vs 1.3%
- Washers: not working0.9%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength0.9%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits0.8%
- Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid0.8%vs 1.4%
- Headlamp: not working on dipped beam0.8%vs 1.4%
By part of the car
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment7.0%vs 11%
- Noise, emissions and leaks4.3%vs 3.1%
- Suspension3.3%vs 8.8%
- Brakes2.7%vs 6.5%
- Visibility2.4%vs 4.5%
- Body, chassis, structure1.9%vs 3.4%
- Tyres1.9%vs 6.3%
- Steering1.4%vs 2.0%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 774 advisories on a Nissan Skyline that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 33% were flagged again and 1.9% had turned into a failure (all cars: 29% and 5.1%). The items most often still there:
- Rigid brake pipes51 advisories63%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms)25 advisories48%
- Brake discs43 advisories47%
- Engine oil leaks51 advisories43%
- Component mounting prescribed areas27 advisories41%
- Linkage ball joints25 advisories40%
- Track rod end (steering linkage components)30 advisories37%
- Condition28 advisories36%
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 1,930 cars tested before October 2024, 29.1% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 11 of them (0.6%) had failed that last test. MOT records don’t say why: most of these cars were scrapped, but some were exported, laid up or declared off the road.
- Nissan Skyline1,930 cars29%
- Japanese imports72,369 cars10%
- All cars (sample)1,360,703 cars7.2%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- White25%vs 19%
- Silver18%vs 14%
- Black15%vs 19%
- Blue13%vs 16%
- Grey13%vs 17%
- Purple6.6%
Checking a Nissan Skyline?
Our free check reads its full MOT history and flags mileage that doesn’t add up, advisories that keep coming back, and recalls filed in Japan.
Buying guide: Nissan Skyline R34 (ER34), Nissan Skyline R32 (HCR32), Nissan Skyline R33 (ECR33), Nissan Skyline V35 (CPV35)
Questions
- How often does a Nissan Skyline fail its MOT?
- 14% of first MOT tests on a Nissan Skyline failed in 2024 and 2025, from 4,342 tests. That’s 61% lower than the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Nissan Skyline?
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge, on 6.6% of tests.
- What does a Nissan Skyline most often fail its MOT on?
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits, on 1.7% of tests.
More MOT statistics
How we worked these out
- Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT tests and results. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The analysis and any errors are ours, not DVSA’s.
- MOT records give the make, model name and engine size, not the chassis code, so models are grouped by name. A model page says when that grouping is looser than its title.
- Failure rates count initial tests only, and include faults fixed during the test (DVSA’s definition). Advisories are counted once per test.
- Ages run from the first-use date on the MOT record. For many imports that’s the date the car was first registered in the UK, not in Japan, so imports can look younger than they are, and the age comparison flatters them less than it should.
- An advisory counts as unfixed if the same part of the car is flagged again, or fails, at the next annual MOT (300 to 500 days later).
- A car “disappeared” if it had no MOT between 31 October 2024 and 30 December 2025, over a year after its last test. It’s an estimate of cars scrapped or taken off the road: some were exported, laid up, or made exempt at 40 years old.
- The figures for all cars and all Japanese-brand cars come from a random one-in-20 sample of vehicles; the model figures use every car.