Used car guide

2013 Nissan Serena: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2013 Nissan Serenas, from 442 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

Small sample: only 442 of these were MOT tested in 2025, so treat the percentages as rough. The known faults below don't depend on it.

442MOT tests in 2025
78%pass first time (all 2013 cars: 66%)
6,100typical miles a year
11.6×the usual rate for rear fog light

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2013 Nissan Serenas than on all cars registered in 2013.

  • Rear fog light11.6× usual
    Nissan Serena
    8.1% All 2013 cars
    0.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 7.9%, against 0.6% of all 2013 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

Better than most

Brake discs: 5% here, against 13.9% of all 2013 cars.

By area

The share of 2013 Nissan Serena MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Lights and electrics
    19% of testsRough price £10–£80

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

  • Suspension
    19% 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.

  • Brakes
    17% 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.

  • Tyres
    17% 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.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    5% of testsRough price £15–£250

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

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Looking at a Nissan Serena?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2019151Suspension 23%
2018135Tyres 21%
2017150Brakes 21%
2016118Tyres 18%
2015161Suspension 14%
2014292Suspension 15%
2012260Tyres 28%
2011193Suspension 28%
2010278Lights and electrics 35%
2009198Suspension 39%
2008162Suspension 40%
2007107Suspension 51%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2013 Nissan Serenas registered in 2013. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score