At a glance
How 8,948 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 58 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 42 in every 1003,741 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 13 yearsabout 73,152 miles
- First tests counted
- 8,948
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)21 in every 100 failed tests
- Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim8 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 2012 Hyundai i20 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.
Suspension
One fault: suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front), 7.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 3,741 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.
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Brakes
Six faults. The strongest is the brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear): 4.9 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.
Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)
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.
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.
Rigid brake pipes (front)
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 199 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.
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 453 first tests, 3.2 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.
Seat belts and restraints
One fault: airbag warning light, 3.6 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.
Lamps and electrical
One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (front), 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)
What it means
A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.
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. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Side repeater indicators
Wheel bearings (rear)
Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, rear)
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Brake performance (roller 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
- 58in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 10in 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 58.2% of 8,948 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 68.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 32 not fixed make the 42 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
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 | 59 in every 100 | 8,716 |
| 2012 This car | 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 2012 Hyundai i20.
Of 2012 Hyundai i20 vehicles with under 49,000 miles, 71 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 99,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.
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 49,000 | 66,000–81,000 | 99,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 4.6 | 9.7 | 10.9 |
| Suspension arm ball joint dust cover (front) | 6.6 | 6.4 | 2.7 |
| Headlight aim | 1.2 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
| Suspension arm ball joint (front) | 1.0 | 3.5 | 5.4 |
| Windscreen washers | 2.0 | 2.6 | 4.2 |
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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