At a glance
How 8,716 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 59 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 41 in every 1003,575 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 14 yearsabout 80,583 miles
- First tests counted
- 8,716
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)23 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
- Windscreen washers9 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.
These are patterns across 2011 Hyundai i20 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Suspension
Two faults. The strongest is the suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front): 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,573 of 3,575 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
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.
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)
Macpherson strut (front)
What it means
Many MacPherson strut top bushes are designed to have significant lateral play when the suspension hangs free, so a top bush is rejected only when the play comes from wear or maladjustment. A top bush or bearing with excessive wear or free play is Major. Rubber or synthetic bushes are rejected only for serious deterioration of the bonding or flexible material.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: airbag warning light, 4.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Airbag warning light
What it means
The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Seven faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)
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.
Electronic stability control
What it means
An ESC warning lamp is failed only when the tester is certain it indicates an ESC malfunction, because the lamp takes various forms and the owner's handbook may need checking. The system is also called ESP, VDC or DSC, among many other names. Every failure row is Major, covering the lamp, wheel speed sensors, wiring, other components and the switch.
Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
Handbrake lever
Rigid brake pipes (rear)
What it means
Chafing, corrosion or damage to a rigid brake pipe justifies rejection once its wall thickness is reduced by a set amount, although DVSA accepts this is not easy to determine. If a tester is not sure, the benefit of the doubt applies. A leaking pipe or connection is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic system and Major on an air system.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 611 first tests, 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake performance (roller test, rear)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 232 first tests, 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
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 discs (rear)
What it means
A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 497 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Side repeater indicators (front)
All direction indicators
Macpherson strut pins and bushes (front)
Steering rack play
Rigid brake pipes (front)
Individual direction indicators (front)
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
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
- 59in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 9in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 32in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 59.0% of 8,716 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 68.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 9 fixed and the 32 not fixed make the 41 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Petrol and diesel
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 56 in every 100 | 8,062 |
| 2010 | 60 in every 100 | 8,409 |
| 2011 This car | 59 in every 100 | 8,716 |
| 2012 | 58 in every 100 | 8,948 |
| 2013 | 60 in every 100 | 11,739 |
| 2014 | 67 in every 100 | 12,442 |
| 2015 | 77 in every 100 | 12,299 |
| 2016 | 79 in every 100 | 13,351 |
| 2017 | 81 in every 100 | 11,350 |
| 2018 | 84 in every 100 | 8,418 |
| 2019 | 86 in every 100 | 7,185 |
| 2020 | 88 in every 100 | 4,087 |
| 2021 | 88 in every 100 | 5,830 |
| 2022 | 85 in every 100 | 7,234 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2011 Hyundai i20.
Of 2011 Hyundai i20 vehicles with under 55,000 miles, 75 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 108,000 miles or more, 47 in every 100 did.
Petrol or diesel?
| Typical mileage | Passed first time, as tested | Passed first time, same mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 79,200 miles | 60 | 59 |
| Diesel | 102,637 miles | 51 | 55 |
Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 102,637 against 79,200). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 55,000 | 73,000–88,000 | 108,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 3.5 | 10.0 | 14.0 |
| Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front) | 3.0 | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Windscreen washers | 1.8 | 3.5 | 4.7 |
| Brake performance (roller test, rear) | 1.7 | 3.7 | 2.8 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 0.5 | 2.8 | 5.5 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
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.
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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