Model reliability

Caterham Seven (s3) reliability

The Caterham Seven (s3) fails its MOT less often than most cars over 10 years old: 14.6% of 1,184 tests failed in 2023, against 39.7% on average.

Over 10 years old

14.6% failed their MOT

Better than most

From 1,184 MOT tests of Caterham Seven (s3)s this age.

Where it does worse than other cars this age

Fails 70% more oftenFront and rear fog lamps1.7% vs 1%Fix about £30

Fails 2× as oftenSteering gear1% vs 0.5%

Advised 3× as oftenWheel bearings4.9% vs 1.7%

Safety recalls

1 DVSA recall for the Caterham Seven (s3)

Most cover a batch of cars built in a set period, and dealers fix them free. Sweep’s check shows the recalls for a car’s age and whether the DVSA has one outstanding.

R/2016/00620 Jan 2016Built 2013–2015Throttle may stick when engine is hot

Due to an overlap in manufacturing tolerance the throttle body butterfly may not return when the throttle pedal is released. As a result engine speed may not fall as expected.

Fix: Replace throttle body on affected vehicles.

Recalled models: SEVEN 620R · 41 vehicles

DVSA vehicle safety recalls (Crown copyright, Open Government Licence).

Checking a Caterham Seven (s3) before you buy

Look at the parts above at the viewing, and read the car’s own MOT history: advisories for the same parts suggest the problem is already starting. Sweep’s free check shows every MOT, advisory and mileage reading for a registration.

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT tests 2023 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Failure rates compare this model with all cars in the same age band. Fix prices are typical independent-garage estimates.

Caterham Seven (s3) reliability

1 DVSA recall for the Caterham Seven (s3)

Checking a Caterham Seven (s3) before you buy

Run this check on every listing, automatically.