What year Opel Ascona is most reliable?

Based on MOT first-test pass rates, the 1981 Opel Ascona has the highest pass rate at 91.3%, out of 761 vehicles tested.

What are the most common Opel Ascona MOT failures?

The most common Opel Ascona MOT failures vary by year. Check the individual year pages for detailed defect breakdowns — links in the table above.

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Opel Ascona — Reliability by Year

4,334 vehicles · MOT data 1980–1986 · first-test pass rates

This page shows MOT first-test pass rates for each year the Opel Ascona was manufactured — click any year to explore that cohort in detail. Trying to decide which year to buy? See the full buying guide →

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Best pass rate year

1981

91.3% pass rate · 761 vehicles

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Lowest pass rate year

1985

56.5% pass rate · 483 vehicles

Year	Pass rate	Avg mileage	Vehicles
1986	71.7%	69,961 mi	265
1985	56.5%	47,091 mi	483
1984	69.2%	56,862 mi	502
1983	57.1%	52,238 mi	599
1982	86.6%	48,451 mi	561
1981	91.3%	24,012 mi	761
1980	78.3%	66,705 mi	1,163

Which year Opel Ascona is most reliable?

MOT pass rate by year of manufacture — averaged across each vehicle's lifetime of tests. Green = noticeably above average for this model; red = noticeably below average.

Tests range from an average of 24,012 miles (newest year) to 69,961 miles (oldest year). Older years naturally accumulate more tests at higher mileages — see the mileage-normalised breakdown →

Trying to decide which year to buy?

We've done the full analysis — which years to look for, which to avoid, and where to find the best value for reliability on a Opel Ascona.

See the buying guide →

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