Hyundai i20 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 20 model years and 738,300 tests, the Hyundai i20 passes its MOT 83.6% of the time. That is 2.3 percentage points better than superminis of a similar age, which fail at 18.7%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
Best and worst i20 years
Ranked across i20 years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2020 cars pass 93.5% of the time while 2009 cars manage 76.5%, a 17.1-point spread.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 9.2% of all tests — 3.0 points clear of brakes, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, wipers and headlamp aim — position lamp alone was recorded 28,643 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 29.2% versus 6.9%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 13.2pp more often than hybrid ones (22.0% vs 8.8%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 24.6% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 14.8% of tests failed in 2021 against 17.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every i20 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 612 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 61,969 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 63,142 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 63,074 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 62,502 | 77.0% | 23.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 78,660 | 79.3% | 20.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 78,070 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 73,247 | 87.2% | 12.8% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 77,537 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Visibility |
| 2017 | 64,654 | 90.1% | 9.9% | Visibility |
| 2018 | 46,963 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 31,941 | 93.0% | 7.0% | Visibility |
| 2020 | 13,699 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 13,037 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Visibility |
| 2022 | 8,774 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 390 | 93.3% | 6.7% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.2% | 67,695 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.1% | 45,231 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.4% | 40,185 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.6% | 33,971 |
| 5 | Tyres | 4.2% | 31,304 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.4% | 10,618 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.3% | 9,229 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.1% | 7,930 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 28,643 |
| 2 | Wipers | 25,305 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 22,884 |
| 4 | Washers | 22,225 |
| 5 | Ball joint dust cover | 18,501 |
| 6 | Rigid brake pipes | 15,289 |
| 7 | Tread depth | 15,253 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 15,043 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 24.6% | 181,788 |
| 2 | Brakes | 23.5% | 173,341 |
| 3 | Suspension | 12.1% | 89,413 |
| 4 | Other defects | 8.4% | 61,700 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 6.9% | 50,719 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.5% | 26,027 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 157,329 | 6.9% |
| 30-60k | 280,707 | 14.1% |
| 60-90k | 193,533 | 21.7% |
| 90-120k | 78,976 | 26.2% |
| 120-150k | 21,262 | 28.4% |
| 150k+ | 6,357 | 29.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 683,133 | 16.3% |
| Diesel | 37,433 | 22.0% |
| Hybrid | 17,716 | 8.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 135,370 | 14.8% |
| 2022 | 143,826 | 15.5% |
| 2023 | 147,980 | 16.5% |
| 2024 | 153,083 | 17.5% |
| 2025 | 158,041 | 17.5% |
What to check before buying a Hyundai i20
- Lighting & signalling (9.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (6.1% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Visibility (5.4% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Hyundai i20?
83.6% of the 738,300 Hyundai i20 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.4% fail rate, across model years 2006–2025.
What does the Hyundai i20 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.2% of tests, then brakes (6.1%).
Which i20 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 93.5% and 2009 the weakest at 76.5%, from 13,699 and 61,969 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect i20 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.2% for 150k+, a 22.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel i20 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 8.8% of the time against 22.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 738,300 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.