CarCostCheck

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

6

How reliable is the Vauxhall Cavalier?

vs national average+0% (82% avg)
vs Vauxhall brand average-2% (84% avg)
Best to worst year spread11 percentage points
Reliability trendDeclining over years

Vauxhall Cavalier by Year

YearPass RateTestsAvg Mileage
199574%807118,296 mi
199480%543112,299 mi
199384%583115,687 mi
199284%26493,740 mi
199182%14887,153 mi
199085%129108,560 mi

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About the Vauxhall Cavalier

The Vauxhall Cavalier has been tested 2,474 times in 2024 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.

Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.