Hyundai Ioniq MOT pass rate & common failures
199,704 MOT tests on the Hyundai Ioniq (1996–2025) give it a 91.7% pass rate. Against small family cars of a similar age (9.7% fail rate), the Ioniq comes out 1.4pp better. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (4.0%) and lighting & signalling (3.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, tread depth and headlamp aim — wipers alone was recorded 6,369 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 6.3% in the 0-30k band and 10.9% in the 150k+ band, a 4.6-point spread.
The electric cars hold up better: 6.4% fail against 8.8% for hybrid, a 2.3-point gap across 199,499 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 18.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 6.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 8.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Ioniq model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2,556 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 31,511 | 90.9% | 9.1% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 47,549 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 44,960 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 26,802 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 30,762 | 92.3% | 7.7% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 14,762 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Visibility |
| 2023 | 674 | 96.0% | 4.0% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 95 | 97.9% | 2.1% | Tyres |
| 2025 | 32 | 100.0% | 0.0% | - |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 4.0% | 8,074 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.4% | 6,829 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.1% | 6,207 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.1% | 4,164 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.4% | 777 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.3% | 674 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.3% | 567 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.1% | 298 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 6,369 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 4,511 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 3,856 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 1,758 |
| 5 | Rbt (sp) | 1,472 |
| 6 | Washers | 1,471 |
| 7 | Headlamp levelling device | 1,265 |
| 8 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 1,222 |
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 | 18.4% | 36,735 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.4% | 14,764 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.5% | 9,045 |
| 4 | Visibility | 2.6% | 5,193 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 1.1% | 2,261 |
| 6 | Suspension | 1.0% | 1,932 |
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 | 60,768 | 6.3% |
| 30-60k | 74,744 | 8.7% |
| 60-90k | 33,951 | 9.4% |
| 90-120k | 15,521 | 9.7% |
| 120-150k | 7,727 | 10.3% |
| 150k+ | 6,990 | 10.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 160,117 | 8.8% |
| Electric | 39,382 | 6.4% |
| Petrol | 154 | 5.8% |
| Other | 47 | 0.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,955 | 6.2% |
| 2022 | 28,660 | 7.4% |
| 2023 | 39,272 | 8.6% |
| 2024 | 51,460 | 8.6% |
| 2025 | 62,357 | 8.8% |
What to check before buying a Hyundai Ioniq
- Tyres (4.0% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (3.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (3.1% 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 Ioniq?
91.7% of the 199,704 Hyundai Ioniq MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 8.3% fail rate, across model years 1996–2025.
What does the Hyundai Ioniq most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 4.0% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.4%).
How much does mileage affect Ioniq MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 10.9% for 150k+, a 4.6-point difference.
Is the electric or hybrid Ioniq more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 6.4% of the time against 8.8% for the hybrid. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 199,704 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.