Hyundai Tucson MOT failure rate and common faults
166,472 Hyundai Tucson cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 17.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 18.0% of the time, which makes the Hyundai Tucson 6% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
17.0%
failed first time
166,472 MOT tests in 2025
-6%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 18.0%
104 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
82.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 75.5
What fails on a Hyundai Tucson 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 Tucson MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 32.6 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 28.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 26.1 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 14.8 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 9.8 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 8.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 8.5 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 8.5 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 8.0 |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play | Steering | 7.1 |
Hyundai Tucson 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 | 27,727 | 10.6% | 11.4% | 27,500 |
| 2021 | 21,586 | 10.5% | 12.8% | 34,000 |
| 2020 | 13,061 | 15.7% | 14.1% | 39,500 |
| 2019 | 26,838 | 15.9% | 16.5% | 45,800 |
| 2018 | 25,010 | 17.9% | 19.1% | 54,500 |
| 2017 | 23,903 | 20.6% | 21.8% | 65,800 |
| 2016 | 20,169 | 22.9% | 25.1% | 74,500 |
| 2015 | 4,728 | 26.5% | 28.1% | 81,300 |
| 2009 | 504 | 41.7% | 41.8% | 102,500 |
| 2007 | 696 | 46.7% | 42.7% | 111,100 |
| 2006 | 828 | 47.5% | 43.0% | 110,600 |
| 2005 | 760 | 47.0% | 42.4% | 108,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Hyundai Tucson'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 Tucson, 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 edge252.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin143.3
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing136.3
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened75.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement44.1
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively41.6
Checking a used Hyundai Tucson before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Hyundai Tucson fails more often than average on brakes and engine, emissions and leaks. 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.
Engine, emissions and leaks
Start the car from cold and watch the exhaust for smoke, look underneath for oil or fuel leaks, and make sure the engine warning light comes on with the ignition and goes out once the engine runs.
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 Tucson cars tested: Petrol 50%, Diesel 29%, Hybrid 17%, Diesel hybrid 4%. Average age at test 6.3 years, average recorded mileage 50,700.
Hyundai Tucson MOT questions
What is the Hyundai Tucson MOT failure rate?
17.0% of Hyundai Tucson cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 166,472 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 18.0% of the time, so the Hyundai Tucson was 6% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Hyundai Tucson MOT?
Brakes caused the most failure items, at 93 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded 32.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Hyundai Tucson year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2021 registrations did best: 10.5% failed against an average of 12.8% 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 Tucson will pass?
No. These are averages across every Hyundai Tucson 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 i2027.4% failed
- Hyundai i3035.4% failed
- Hyundai Kona13.8% failed
- Hyundai ix3536.2% failed
- Hyundai Ioniq13.8% failed
Ranked close to the Hyundai Tucson
- Vauxhall Vivarank 101
- SEAT Leonrank 102
- Mercedes-Benz A-Classrank 103
- Skoda Superbrank 105
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 Tucson 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.