Hyundai Ix20 MOT pass rate & common failures

172,004 MOT tests on the Hyundai Ix20 (2009–2021) give it an 82.6% pass rate. MPVs of a similar age fail 18.5% of the time, so this is 1.2pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and steering.

83%
Pass rate
172,004
MOT tests analysed
17.4%
Fail rate
better than
vs MPVs of similar age
2009–2021
Model years covered

Best and worst Ix20 years

Strongest year
2019

94.1% pass rate from 6,502 tests.

See the 2019 report
Weakest year
2010

72.8% pass rate from 2,319 tests.

See the 2010 report

Ranked across Ix20 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

Not every year is equal — 94.1% of 2019 examples pass against 72.8% of 2010 ones.

No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.1%) and brakes (8.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.

At component level the recurring items are track rod end, rbt (sp) and stop lamp — track rod end alone was recorded 8,009 times.

A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 31.7% versus 7.3%.

Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 7.6pp more often than petrol ones (24.0% vs 16.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.

Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 22.7% of tests without failing them.

The trend is worsening — 14.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.7% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.

How it compares

Fail rate vs benchmark (lower is better) Hyundai Ix20 17.4% MPVs avg 18.5%
Fail rate for the Hyundai Ix20 against MPVs of a similar age.

By model year

Every Ix20 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.

Hyundai Ix20 MOT results by model year
Year Tests Pass rate Fail rate Most common failure
2010 2,319 72.8% 27.2% Lighting & signalling
2011 23,741 74.3% 25.7% Lighting & signalling
2012 23,346 74.8% 25.2% Lighting & signalling
2013 21,789 76.8% 23.2% Lighting & signalling
2014 21,278 80.7% 19.3% Brakes
2015 18,850 86.3% 13.7% Lighting & signalling
2016 20,686 88.2% 11.8% Brakes
2017 21,529 90.8% 9.2% Visibility
2018 11,557 93.9% 6.1% Visibility
2019 6,502 94.1% 5.9% Visibility
2020 390 95.6% 4.4% Visibility

Most common failures (all years)

Most common MOT failure areas — Hyundai Ix20
# Category % of tests affected Tests
1 Lighting & signalling 9.1% 15,647
2 Brakes 8.0% 13,753
3 Steering 4.2% 7,247
4 Suspension 4.0% 6,796
5 Tyres 3.7% 6,348
6 Visibility 3.6% 6,280
7 Body, structure & corrosion 0.8% 1,343
8 Emissions & environmental 0.6% 1,093
Share of tests failing on each category Lighting & signalling 9.1% Brakes 8.0% Steering 4.2% Suspension 4.0% Tyres 3.7% Visibility 3.6%
Percentage of tests with at least one failure recorded in each category, across all model years.

Most common specific failures

The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.

Most frequently recorded failure items — Hyundai Ix20
#Failure itemTimes recorded
1Track rod end8,009
2Rbt (sp)7,162
3Stop lamp6,339
4Position lamp5,240
5Headlamp aim5,049
6Brake pads4,925
7Wipers3,888
8Parking brake performance3,669

Top advisory categories

Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.

Most common MOT advisories — Hyundai Ix20
# Category % of tests with advisory Tests
1 Tyres 22.7% 39,116
2 Brakes 21.1% 36,326
3 Suspension 9.6% 16,552
4 Other defects 7.8% 13,344
5 Lighting & signalling 4.6% 7,974
6 Steering 3.4% 5,828

Failure rate by mileage

Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.

MOT fail rate by recorded mileage 0-30k 7.3% 30-60k 16.9% 60-90k 25.4% 90-120k 30.5% 120-150k 32.5% 150k+ 31.7%
MOT fail rate by recorded mileage band.
Fail rate by recorded mileage — Hyundai Ix20
Mileage band Tests Fail rate
0-30k 48,846 7.3%
30-60k 69,352 16.9%
60-90k 37,130 25.4%
90-120k 12,725 30.5%
120-150k 3,092 32.5%
150k+ 837 31.7%

Failure rate by age

MOT fail rate by vehicle age at test 2 yrs 6.3% 3 yrs 3.9% 4 yrs 6.6% 5 yrs 7.6% 6 yrs 9.1% 7 yrs 11.4% 8 yrs 14.3% 9 yrs 19.2% 10 yrs 22.3% 11 yrs 24.7% 12 yrs 26.8% 13 yrs 27.0% 14 yrs 27.2% 15 yrs 29.0%
How the Ix20's MOT fail rate climbs as the cars get older.

By fuel type

Fail rate by fuel type — Hyundai Ix20
Fuel Tests Fail rate
Petrol 148,083 16.3%
Diesel 23,921 24.0%

Trend over time

Fail rate by dataset year — Hyundai Ix20
Dataset year Tests Fail rate
2021 32,275 14.4%
2022 34,300 15.6%
2023 35,155 17.6%
2024 35,098 19.2%
2025 35,176 19.7%

What to check before buying a Hyundai Ix20

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 Ix20?

82.6% of the 172,004 Hyundai Ix20 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.4% fail rate, across model years 2009–2021.

What does the Hyundai Ix20 most often fail its MOT on?

Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.1% of tests, then brakes (8.0%).

Which Ix20 years are best and worst for MOT results?

2019 has the best pass rate at 94.1% and 2010 the weakest at 72.8%, from 6,502 and 2,319 tests respectively.

How much does mileage affect Ix20 MOT results?

Fail rates run at 7.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.7% for 150k+, a 24.3-point difference.

Is the petrol or diesel Ix20 more reliable at MOT time?

On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 16.3% of the time against 24.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.

Methodology & source. Based on 172,004 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.

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