Is the Vauxhall Cavalier reliable?

The Vauxhall Cavalier has an average MOT pass rate of 82% across 6 years, based on 2,474 tests in 2026. That's 0 points above the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 1990 with a 85% pass rate.

Which year Vauxhall Cavalier is best?

The 1990 Vauxhall Cavalier has the highest MOT pass rate at 85%, while the 1995 model has the lowest at 74%. There's a 11 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Vauxhall Cavalier

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 6 years from 2,474 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

82%

Total Tests

2,474

Best Year

1990 (85%)

Years Covered

About the Vauxhall Cavalier

The Vauxhall Cavalier has been tested 2,474 times in 2026 MOT data across 6 model years (1990 to 1995), with an average pass rate of 82%. That's close to the national average of 82%. Available as petrol.

Best and Worst Years

The 1990 model is the most reliable with a 85% pass rate from 129 tests. The 1995 model has the lowest at 74%. The 11 point spread between years means reliability varies somewhat, but no year is dramatically different.

Reliability Trend

Older VAUXHALL CAVALIERs tend to have better MOT pass rates than newer ones, with an average decline of 4 percentage points across model years.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1990) averages 108,560 miles, while the newest (1995) averages 118,296 miles. Older models have covered serious mileage, so suspension and drivetrain wear are worth checking.