Hyundai Santa-Fe MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 25 model years and 218,219 tests, the Hyundai Santa-Fe passes its MOT 78.0% of the time. Against large SUVs of a similar age (17.1% fail rate), the Santa-Fe comes out 4.9pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Santa-Fe years
Ranked across Santa-Fe 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
The strongest year on this record is 2022 (92.8% pass rate); the weakest is 2006 (69.6%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.3%) and suspension (8.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, ball joint and joints — position lamp alone was recorded 11,091 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 7.1% in the 0-30k band and 31.7% in the 150k+ band, a 24.6-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 22.3pp more often than hybrid ones (28.2% vs 5.9%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 26.4% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Santa-Fe model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 408 | 71.1% | 28.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 1,358 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 3,066 | 71.2% | 28.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 5,124 | 69.8% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 6,560 | 70.2% | 29.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 10,486 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 9,522 | 71.2% | 28.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 6,010 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 4,895 | 72.7% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 22,198 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 23,265 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 20,839 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 9,032 | 74.7% | 25.3% | Steering |
| 2014 | 15,703 | 78.9% | 21.1% | Steering |
| 2015 | 17,292 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 24,619 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 15,031 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 10,886 | 89.2% | 10.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 5,072 | 89.8% | 10.2% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 1,777 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 2,023 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 2,187 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 704 | 96.5% | 3.5% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 150 | 92.7% | 7.3% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.3% | 24,751 |
| 2 | Suspension | 8.7% | 19,035 |
| 3 | Brakes | 7.5% | 16,334 |
| 4 | Tyres | 5.0% | 10,800 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.4% | 9,531 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.5% | 7,752 |
| 7 | Steering | 3.2% | 7,053 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 2,933 |
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 | 11,091 |
| 2 | Ball joint | 9,928 |
| 3 | Joints | 8,111 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 7,228 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 7,103 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 6,779 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 6,555 |
| 8 | Wipers | 5,745 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 26.4% | 57,646 |
| 2 | Tyres | 25.9% | 56,432 |
| 3 | Suspension | 22.4% | 48,978 |
| 4 | Other defects | 12.2% | 26,696 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 9.1% | 19,832 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 7.3% | 15,834 |
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 | 13,999 | 7.1% |
| 30-60k | 47,983 | 12.9% |
| 60-90k | 57,359 | 21.4% |
| 90-120k | 52,636 | 27.5% |
| 120-150k | 31,195 | 30.0% |
| 150k+ | 15,022 | 31.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 205,828 | 22.1% |
| Petrol | 8,232 | 28.2% |
| Hybrid | 4,154 | 5.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46,453 | 22.0% |
| 2022 | 45,450 | 22.3% |
| 2023 | 43,388 | 22.4% |
| 2024 | 41,647 | 22.2% |
| 2025 | 41,281 | 21.2% |
What to check before buying a Hyundai Santa-Fe
- Lighting & signalling (11.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (8.7% 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.
- Brakes (7.5% 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.
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 Santa-Fe?
78.0% of the 218,219 Hyundai Santa-Fe MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.0% fail rate, across model years 2001–2025.
What does the Hyundai Santa-Fe most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.3% of tests, then suspension (8.7%).
Which Santa-Fe years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 92.8% and 2006 the weakest at 69.6%, from 2,187 and 10,486 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Santa-Fe MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.1% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.7% for 150k+, a 24.6-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Santa-Fe more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 5.9% of the time against 28.2% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 218,219 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.