Vauxhall Astravan
Registered from 1996 to 2013.
About this model
The Opel Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) developed and produced by the German automaker Opel since 1991, currently at its sixth generation. It was first launched in September 1991 as a direct replacement to the Opel Kadett. As of 2025, the car slots between the smaller Corsa supermini and the larger Frontera subcompact crossover SUV.
From the Wikipedia article Opel Astra, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What fails its inspection
Great Britain's MOT record for the 2005 1.7 diesel. 688 of 2,302 tests failed, 30%.
Better than 32% of 2005 cars. The typical one fails 27%, across 837 models with enough tests behind them to say.
| Where | Share of failures | Failed tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 55% | 376 |
| Suspension | 53% | 368 |
| Lights and electrics | 52% | 356 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 22% | 148 |
| Visibility | 21% | 146 |
| Body and structure | 20% | 137 |
The defects inspectors cite
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
Before you buy one
Built from what this car fails on, not from general knowledge of the model.
- Brakes — 55% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
- Parking brake inoperative on one side
- Suspension — 53% of its failures
- A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
- A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
- Exhaust and emissions — 22% of its failures
- Lights and electrics — 52% of its failures
- A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
- Visibility — 21% of its failures
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
- Body and structure — 20% of its failures
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
When it starts failing
At 200k+ miles this one fails 30% of its inspections, about what an ordinary car of the same age does.
| Odometer | Failure rate | Rate | Its age | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60–80k miles | 18% | 26% | 76 | |
| 80–100k miles | 26% | 28% | 147 | |
| 100–120k miles | 29% | 29% | 291 | |
| 120–140k miles | 29% | 30% | 394 | |
| 140–160k miles | 31% | 30% | 397 | |
| 160–180k miles | 34% | 30% | 353 | |
| 180–200k miles | 33% | 30% | 244 | |
| 200k+ miles | 30% | 30% | 253 |
2,155 British inspections, grouped by the odometer reading recorded at the test.
Half of these have more than 140k miles on them. That is how far people drive this car, not how long it lasts.