Hyundai Kona MOT failure rate and common faults
61,500 Hyundai Kona cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 13.8% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 13.9% of the time, which makes the Hyundai Kona about as likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
13.8%
failed first time
61,500 MOT tests in 2025
-1%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 13.9%
124 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
62.3
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 62.3
What fails on a Hyundai Kona 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 Kona MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 34.0 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 27.7 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 25.3 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 19.3 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 15.4 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 11.5 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 7.8 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 5.0 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 4.3 |
| Tyres: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure | Tyres | 4.2 |
Hyundai Kona 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 | 17,244 | 13.5% | 11.4% | 25,100 |
| 2021 | 16,399 | 13.8% | 12.8% | 34,700 |
| 2020 | 11,877 | 14.3% | 14.1% | 39,900 |
| 2019 | 8,861 | 13.4% | 16.5% | 41,500 |
| 2018 | 6,699 | 14.1% | 19.1% | 46,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Hyundai Kona'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 Kona, 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 edge218.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing188.6
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened75.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin56.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement38.3
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords28.9
Checking a used Hyundai Kona before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Hyundai Kona fails more often than average on windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
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.
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 Kona cars tested: Hybrid 40%, Electric 31%, Petrol 30%. Average age at test 4.6 years, average recorded mileage 35,400.
Hyundai Kona MOT questions
What is the Hyundai Kona MOT failure rate?
13.8% of Hyundai Kona cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 61,500 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 13.9% of the time, so the Hyundai Kona was about as likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Hyundai Kona MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 77 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 34.0 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Hyundai Kona year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 14.1% failed against an average of 19.1% 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 Kona will pass?
No. These are averages across every Hyundai Kona 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 i2027.4% failed
- Hyundai i3035.4% failed
- Hyundai ix3536.2% failed
- Hyundai Ioniq13.8% failed
Ranked close to the Hyundai Kona
- Suzuki Altorank 121
- Citroen C3 Aircrossrank 123
- Kia Vengarank 125
- Kia Soulrank 126
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 Kona 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.