Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Hyundai Coupe 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 51 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2009 Hyundai Coupe were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

With 896 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2009 Hyundai Coupe differs from the model years either side.

At a glance

How 896 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
51 in every 100
Did not pass first time
49 in every 100442 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
16 yearsabout 85,873 miles
First tests counted
896

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)36 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Petrol emissions (with catalyst)12 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2009 Hyundai Coupe vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Steering

One fault: steering rack (front), 20 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 442 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Steering rack (front)

Failed on 43 first tests20 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

Four faults. The strongest is the handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test): 6.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 161 first tests6.0 times as often as similar carsStrong evidence

What it means

A parking brake with efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and graded Dangerous where efficiency is less than half of the required value. On a roller brake tester, the requirement counts as met if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock. The check applies only to vehicles whose parking brake was not already tested as the secondary brake.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 27 first tests4.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 30 first tests4.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

ABS is failed as removed only where it has obviously been removed, because not every vehicle in the age range where removal is not permitted has ABS. A warning lamp that does not light or shows an ABS fault is Major, as is a missing or excessively damaged wheel speed sensor. Every failure row for this component is Major.

Brake performance (roller test, front)

Failed on 23 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel with no recorded braking effort on the roller test is graded Dangerous. Inadequate effort, a brake grabbing severely, abnormal lag and excessive fluctuation in effort are each Major. So is significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied, which indicates a binding brake.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions not tested: 3.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions not tested

Failed on 24 first tests3.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On a petrol car, an emissions test recorded as not tested or unable to be completed is failed as Major. DVSA's wording gives no reason why.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 53 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: exhaust system (rear), 3.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Exhaust system (rear)

Failed on 27 first tests3.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Side repeater indicators

Noted on 20 first tests19 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (front)

Noted on 41 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (front)

Noted on 42 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 38 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 21 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Exhaust system (front)

Noted on 20 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Noted on 45 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
51in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
44in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 50.7% of 896 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 55.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 44 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020052006200720082009Older cars
40608010020052006200720082009Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 54 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200554 in every 100403
200652 in every 100689
200750 in every 1001,050
200852 in every 100829
2009 This car51 in every 100896

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 896 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2009 Hyundai Coupe differs from the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), about 36 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 50.7% of 896 first MOTs on the 2009 Hyundai Coupe passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 55.7%. Among 442 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) appears more often than on similar cars (36.4% of those tests; 161 observed failures; about 6.0× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2009 Hyundai Coupe at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (36.4%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (12.2%) and Petrol emissions (with catalyst) (12.0%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (36.4% of those tests; 161 observed failures; about 6.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) shows up more often than on similar cars (36.4% of those tests; 161 observed failures; about 6.0× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2009 Hyundai Coupe include Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), Steering rack (front), Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2009 Hyundai Coupe (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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