Hyundai i20 MOT failure rate and common faults
132,691 Hyundai i20 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 27.4% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 27.8% of the time, which makes the Hyundai i20 about as likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
27.4%
failed first time
132,691 MOT tests in 2025
-1%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 27.8%
122 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
85.7
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 103.3
What fails on a Hyundai i20 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Hyundai i20 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 45.3 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 36.8 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 33.7 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 24.6 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 23.0 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 22.8 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 20.3 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 19.7 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 13.6 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 13.4 |
Hyundai i20 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7,631 | 15.2% | 11.4% | 22,200 |
| 2021 | 6,008 | 12.2% | 12.8% | 27,100 |
| 2020 | 4,206 | 11.9% | 14.1% | 32,100 |
| 2019 | 7,404 | 13.8% | 16.5% | 37,900 |
| 2018 | 8,690 | 15.9% | 19.1% | 45,200 |
| 2017 | 11,698 | 18.6% | 21.8% | 52,500 |
| 2016 | 13,740 | 20.9% | 25.1% | 58,300 |
| 2015 | 12,732 | 22.5% | 28.1% | 64,700 |
| 2014 | 12,841 | 32.6% | 31.4% | 65,500 |
| 2013 | 12,200 | 39.9% | 34.3% | 70,300 |
| 2012 | 9,273 | 41.5% | 36.6% | 75,200 |
| 2011 | 9,038 | 40.7% | 38.8% | 82,700 |
| 2010 | 8,796 | 39.9% | 40.7% | 83,500 |
| 2009 | 8,357 | 42.9% | 41.8% | 84,600 |
Advisories to look for in a Hyundai i20's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Hyundai i20, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge211.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing194.1
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material124.0
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened123.4
- Brake pads: wearing thin97.5
- Coil spring: corroded38.1
Checking a used Hyundai i20 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Hyundai i20 fails more often than average on brakes, windscreen, wipers and mirrors and seat belts and airbags. Start there.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
Seat belts and airbags
Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches, and make sure the airbag warning light goes out after starting.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Hyundai i20 cars tested: Petrol 88%, Hybrid 8%, Diesel 4%. Average age at test 9.9 years, average recorded mileage 60,100.
Hyundai i20 MOT questions
What is the Hyundai i20 MOT failure rate?
27.4% of Hyundai i20 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 132,691 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 27.8% of the time, so the Hyundai i20 was about as likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Hyundai i20 MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 169 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 45.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Hyundai i20 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2015 registrations did best: 22.5% failed against an average of 28.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Hyundai i20 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Hyundai i20 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Hyundai models
- Hyundai i1027.5% failed
- Hyundai Tucson17.0% failed
- Hyundai i3035.4% failed
- Hyundai Kona13.8% failed
- Hyundai ix3536.2% failed
- Hyundai Ioniq13.8% failed
Ranked close to the Hyundai i20
- MG HSrank 119
- Skoda Fabiarank 120
- Suzuki Altorank 121
- Citroen C3 Aircrossrank 123
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Hyundai i20 cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.