Hyundai i30 MOT pass rate & common failures
659,745 MOT tests on the Hyundai i30 (2004–2024) give it a 78.4% pass rate. That is 3.0 percentage points worse than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 18.6%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst i30 years
Ranked across i30 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: 2022 cars pass 92.4% of the time while 2008 cars manage 71.3%, a 21.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.5%) and brakes (9.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are stop lamp, rbt (sp) and track rod end — stop lamp alone was recorded 28,496 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.6% in the 0-30k band and 30.5% in the 150k+ band, a 21.9-point spread — more than double.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 10.3% fail against 23.6% for diesel, a 13.3-point gap across 320,411 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 27.5% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 19.9% of tests failed in 2021 against 22.7% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every i30 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 6,324 | 71.4% | 28.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 18,468 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 60,919 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 71,463 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 60,841 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 59,776 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 69,795 | 74.6% | 25.4% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 63,292 | 77.3% | 22.7% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 82,980 | 82.0% | 17.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 57,131 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 38,517 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 41,113 | 89.6% | 10.3% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 18,249 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 5,214 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 3,988 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 1,571 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 93 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.5% | 75,544 |
| 2 | Brakes | 9.1% | 60,162 |
| 3 | Suspension | 6.7% | 43,909 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.7% | 37,708 |
| 5 | Steering | 4.3% | 28,569 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.1% | 27,329 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.4% | 9,432 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.2% | 8,015 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stop lamp | 28,496 |
| 2 | Rbt (sp) | 28,431 |
| 3 | Track rod end | 28,014 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 23,585 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 21,662 |
| 6 | Position lamp | 20,164 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 16,879 |
| 8 | Service brake performance | 16,653 |
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 | 27.5% | 181,159 |
| 2 | Brakes | 23.3% | 153,906 |
| 3 | Suspension | 18.6% | 122,567 |
| 4 | Other defects | 10.5% | 69,267 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 8.3% | 55,065 |
| 6 | Steering | 4.4% | 29,076 |
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 | 62,175 | 8.6% |
| 30-60k | 191,088 | 16.0% |
| 60-90k | 204,432 | 23.8% |
| 90-120k | 126,182 | 27.9% |
| 120-150k | 51,644 | 29.9% |
| 150k+ | 24,087 | 30.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 339,327 | 19.8% |
| Diesel | 317,587 | 23.6% |
| Hybrid | 2,824 | 10.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 129,565 | 19.9% |
| 2022 | 133,790 | 20.8% |
| 2023 | 134,541 | 21.9% |
| 2024 | 133,038 | 22.8% |
| 2025 | 128,811 | 22.7% |
What to check before buying a Hyundai i30
- Lighting & signalling (11.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (9.1% 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.
- Suspension (6.7% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
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 i30?
78.4% of the 659,745 Hyundai i30 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.6% fail rate, across model years 2004–2024.
What does the Hyundai i30 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.5% of tests, then brakes (9.1%).
Which i30 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 92.4% and 2008 the weakest at 71.3%, from 1,571 and 18,468 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect i30 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.5% for 150k+, a 21.9-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel i30 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 10.3% of the time against 23.6% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 659,745 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.