Hyundai Tucson 2015: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 73 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2015 Hyundai Tucson were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test).

Summary

A 2015 Hyundai Tucson passed first time about 4 in every 100 less often than the 2016 model year next to it.

At a glance

How 4,583 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
73 in every 100
Did not pass first time
27 in every 1001,225 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
10 yearsabout 79,635 miles
First tests counted
4,583

What failed most often

  1. Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Anti-lock braking system (ABS)9 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake pads (rear)9 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 2015 Hyundai Tucson 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.

Body and structure

One fault: other passenger door condition (rear), 48 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,225 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.

Other passenger door condition (rear)

Failed on 71 first tests48 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A lack of door handles is not a defect where it comes from the original design or a specialist modification, provided the door latches securely closed and opens using a control such as a button or a fob. Hinges, catches and pillars are rejected for deterioration only if the doors stop working as intended. A hinged door likely to open inadvertently or not remain closed is graded Dangerous.

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

Brakes

Six faults and one wear pattern. The strongest is the brake hand lever: 9.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake hand lever

Failed on 51 first tests9.8 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A brake lever is failed for insufficient reserve only if it is touching the floor or handlebar. On motorcycle derived systems the lever may touch the handlebar, so the extent of reserve travel is assessed during the brake test. A lever not releasing correctly is Minor, and Major where the functionality of the brakes is affected.

Handbrake performance (roller test, rear)

Failed on 81 first tests8.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A parking brake that is inoperative on one side is Major. When tested on the road, the failure is the vehicle deviating excessively from a straight line. Vehicles whose parking brake was already tested as the secondary brake are not tested again for this.

Anti-lock braking system (ABS)

Failed on 112 first tests7.8 times as often as similar carsStrong 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.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 66 first tests7.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 249 first tests5.4 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.

Electronic stability control

Failed on 64 first tests5.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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 pads (rear)

Failed on 111 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

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

Suspension

One fault: suspension arm pins and bushes (rear), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 26 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 63 first tests, 4.3 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.

Brake pedal

Noted on 22 first tests5.6 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
73in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
23in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 73.3% of 4,583 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 76.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 23 not fixed make the 27 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

40608010020152016201720182019202020212022Newer cars
40608010020152020Newer 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, 75 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
2015 This car73 in every 1004,583
201677 in every 10019,399
201779 in every 10022,957
201882 in every 10024,033
201984 in every 10025,842
202084 in every 10012,584
202189 in every 10020,734
202289 in every 10026,024

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2015 Tucson.

Of 2015 Tucson vehicles with under 60,000 miles, 82 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 101,000 miles or more, 70 in every 100 did.

Under 60,000954 tests
82
60,000–73,000852 tests
76
73,000–86,000 Typical car956 tests
71
86,000–101,000901 tests
68
101,000 and over920 tests
70

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 60,00073,000–86,000101,000 and over
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)2.16.07.1
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)2.82.01.7
Brake pads (rear)0.92.73.7
Tyre tread depth (front)1.23.03.3
Track rod end (front)0.72.12.5

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.


When a car fails

41in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

28in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in every 100

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.

A 2015 Hyundai Tucson passed first time about 4 in every 100 less often than the 2016 model year next to it. In 2025, 73.3% of 4,583 first MOTs on the 2015 Hyundai Tucson passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 76.8%. Among 1,225 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) appears more often than on similar cars (9.1% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 7.8× 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 2015 Hyundai Tucson at the first attempt were Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (20.3%), Anti-lock braking system (ABS) (9.1%) and Brake pads (rear) (9.1%), 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: Anti-lock braking system (ABS) (9.1% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 7.8× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) shows up more often than on similar cars (9.1% of those tests; 112 observed failures; about 7.8× 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 2015 Hyundai Tucson include Anti-lock braking system (ABS), Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test), Other passenger door condition (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 2015 Hyundai Tucson (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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