Nissan NOTE

Used Notes get talked about as the practical small family hatch — taller and roomier than the Micra they grew out of, with a high roof, upright seats and, on many examples, a sliding rear bench that actually changes how you use the boot. Listings pitch value, fuel economy and that slightly unglamorous mini-MPV usefulness against a Jazz or a Fabia. Refinement is rarely the selling point, and some used-car write-ups still leave a question mark over how they last, which is the bit an MOT extract can speak to.

Carmotiq analysed 104,423 official DVSA MOT tests of Nissan Notes first registered 2016–2021, covering vehicles in the 5–10 years old (registration era) band we use for consistent make-and-model comparisons. The pass rate: 87.5%. Owner-maintenance wording accounts for 65,834 of 117,606 recorded defect notes, and tyre worn close to the legal limit or worn on the edge appears 21,482 times. Systemic notes are 5,166 in total; the most frequent of those is brake pipe excessively damaged (1,837). That's make-and-model evidence from official MOT records, not one registration plate, a private sale or a magazine reliability score.

Anyone weighing up a used Note should treat that pass rate as a decent starting point, then spend proper time on the tyres before they fall for a clean cabin and a sliding bench. Tyre condition is something you can check for yourself: tread depth and, importantly, tyre edge wear — and replacing a set can be a meaningful immediate cost. While you're there, sight along the brake pipes, check the headlamp aim and make sure the engine warning lamp comes on and goes out as it should.

This report describes model-level MOT trends, not the condition of any individual vehicle.

Two identical Nissan NOTE models can have very different maintenance histories.

Use it to understand common patterns before inspecting a specific car — then check that car’s own MOT history.

We group recorded DVSA defect wording into four research categories to help identify whether issues are more likely to reflect routine maintenance, expected wear, recurring model patterns or miscellaneous inspection outcomes.

Owner maintenance

Defects often linked to day-to-day upkeep — tyres, lamps, washers and other items a careful owner can usually prevent or fix promptly.

Wear & tear

Age- and mileage-related deterioration that accumulates with normal use, even when a car has been looked after.

Systemic

Recurring wording and patterns across the model fleet that may point to design, component or known-model tendencies rather than one careless owner.

Other

Inspection outcomes that do not sit cleanly in the three groups above, including mixed or less classifiable defect notes.

Dataset: 104,423 official UK DVSA MOT tests · 117,606 defect notes · 2016–2021 registrations · United Kingdom · snapshot 26 September 2026 · aggregated model-level MOT analysis.

• 1Check tyre tread across the full width, including the inner and outer edges, not just the centre of each tyre.
• 2Sight along the brake pipes underneath for damage, corrosion or rubbing where the lines run.
• 3Confirm both headlamps sit at a similar height on a wall and that the windscreen washers actually fire.
• 4With the ignition on, check the engine management lamp comes on and then goes out — walk away if it stays lit or never illuminates.