Used car guide

2015 Citroen C4 Cactus: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2015 Citroen C4 Cactuss, from 389 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

Small sample: only 389 of these were MOT tested in 2025, so treat the percentages as rough. The known faults below don't depend on it.

389MOT tests in 2025

55%pass first time (all 2015 cars: 72%)

7,300typical miles a year

7.4×the usual rate for exhaust system

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2015 Citroen C4 Cactuss than on all cars registered in 2015.

Exhaust system7.4× usual

Citroen C4 Cactus
20.1% All 2015 cars
2.7%

Failed outright at MOT: 5.1%, against 0.7% of all 2015 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £100–£500 (pipe or section) ClickMechanic

At the viewing: Listen for blowing or rattling from underneath at idle, and look for black soot around joints.
Number plate lights4.2× usual

Citroen C4 Cactus
17.2% All 2015 cars
4.1%

Failed outright at MOT: 4.9%, against 1.2% of all 2015 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £5–£40 our estimate

At the viewing: Check the number plate lights work and the plates are clean and legal.
Suspension arm bushes and joints2.2× usual

Citroen C4 Cactus
15.9% All 2015 cars
7.1%

Failed outright at MOT: 3.1%, against 1.4% of all 2015 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £120–£180 (one arm) ClickMechanic

At the viewing: Listen for clunks over bumps and feel for the steering wandering. Worn arm bushes show as cracked rubber near the wheels.
Engine oil leaks2.4× usual

Citroen C4 Cactus
8.2% All 2015 cars
3.4%

Failed outright at MOT: 0.3%, against 0.1% of all 2015 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £80–£600 our estimate

At the viewing: Look under the engine and where the car is usually parked for fresh oil. Ask whether the leak has been looked at.
Ball joint2.2× usual

Citroen C4 Cactus
8% All 2015 cars
3.6%

Failed outright at MOT: 5.4%, against 1.9% of all 2015 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

By area

The share of 2015 Citroen C4 Cactus MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

Tyres

37% of testsRough price £70–£150

At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.
Suspension

36% of testsRough price £120–£400

At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.
Lights and electrics

32% of testsRough price £10–£80

At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.
Brakes

31% of testsRough price £150–£350

At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.
Exhaust and emissions

21% of testsRough price £100–£1,200

At the viewing: Look for black soot in the tailpipe, listen for blowing from the exhaust and check for engine or DPF warning lights.
Wipers, windscreen and mirrors

13% of testsRough price £15–£250

At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

Known faults

Reported by owners, mechanics and buying guides for this model and age. Check which engine the car has, as some apply to one engine only.

Timing belt that runs in oil (PureTech petrol)
1.0 and 1.2 PureTech petrol
The 1.0 and 1.2 PureTech petrol engines use a timing belt that runs in the engine oil (a “wet belt”). It can break down early and shed rubber that blocks the oil supply, which can wreck the engine. Some also burn too much oil. Stellantis now covers earlier engines for belt and oil-burning problems for up to 10 years or 112,000 miles, as long as the car has been serviced on schedule.

At the viewing: Ask for a full service history showing the right oil, and when the belt was last checked or changed. Check the oil level on the dipstick, and that no oil-pressure or engine warning light stays on.

Source: Parkers: Stellantis wet belt compensation, and the cars at risk, Stellantis: compensation policy for earlier PureTech 1.0 and 1.2 engines (7 May 2025)

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Other years

Year	MOT tests	Most flagged
2021	330	Tyres 26%
2020	1,904	Tyres 27%
2019	3,889	Tyres 33%
2018	5,370	Tyres 33%
2017	5,804	Tyres 34%
2016	3,489	Tyres 33%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2015 Citroen C4 Cactuss registered in 2015. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score