MG HS MOT failure rate and common faults
30,311 MG HS cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 11.9% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 12.1% of the time, which makes the MG HS about as likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
11.9%
failed first time
30,311 MOT tests in 2025
-2%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 12.1%
119 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
38.6
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 53.8
What fails on a MG HS 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 MG HS 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 | 19.5 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 17.0 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 16.0 |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative | Tyres | 14.5 |
| Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn | Brakes | 10.4 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 9.7 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 9.1 |
| Washers: not working | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 9.0 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 7.5 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 5.9 |
MG HS 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 | 18,864 | 12.6% | 11.4% | 26,000 |
| 2021 | 8,256 | 10.1% | 12.8% | 33,800 |
| 2020 | 3,086 | 12.3% | 14.1% | 36,200 |
Advisories to look for in a MG HS'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 MG HS, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened249.2
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge96.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing82.0
- Brake pads: wearing thin80.0
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil30.1
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords26.8
Checking a used MG HS before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the MG HS fails more often than average on brakes. 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.
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 MG HS cars tested: Petrol 86%, Hybrid 14%. Average age at test 3.5 years, average recorded mileage 29,200.
MG HS MOT questions
What is the MG HS MOT failure rate?
11.9% of MG HS cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 30,311 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 12.1% of the time, so the MG HS was about as likely to fail.
What fails most often on a MG HS MOT?
Brakes caused the most failure items, at 47 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick", recorded 19.5 times per 1,000 tests.
Which MG HS year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2021 registrations did best: 10.1% 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 MG HS will pass?
No. These are averages across every MG HS 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.
Ranked close to the MG HS
- Suzuki SX4rank 116
- Citroen C1rank 117
- Suzuki Swiftrank 118
- Skoda Fabiarank 120
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 MG HS 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.