2020 Hyundai Tucson — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2020 Hyundai Tucson passed 89.5% of its 44,268 recorded MOT tests. That is 1.7 percentage points worse than mid-size SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 8.8%. Failures cluster in visibility, tyres and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (4.7%) and tyres (4.0%) 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 brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 1,937 times.
A 90-120k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 14.3% versus 8.3%.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 10.4% of the time against 10.7% for diesel.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 8.1% of tests failed in 2022 against 11.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 4.7% | 2,059 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.0% | 1,756 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.3% | 1,446 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 2.0% | 884 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.0% | 440 |
| 6 | Steering | 0.9% | 384 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 1,937 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,463 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 954 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 842 |
| 5 | Pins and bushes | 583 |
| 6 | Washers | 496 |
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 | 23.2% | 10,290 |
| 2 | Brakes | 14.1% | 6,227 |
| 3 | Other defects | 8.8% | 3,888 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.9% | 1,713 |
| 5 | Steering | 3.3% | 1,477 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.0% | 1,338 |
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 | 22,577 | 8.3% |
| 30-60k | 19,584 | 12.6% |
| 60-90k | 1,938 | 15.1% |
| 90-120k | 133 | 14.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 32,619 | 10.4% |
| Diesel | 11,620 | 10.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 543 | 8.1% |
| 2023 | 14,633 | 9.2% |
| 2024 | 14,455 | 10.9% |
| 2025 | 14,613 | 11.5% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Tucson
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: visibility accounted for 4.7% of tests. Start there.
- Visibility (4.7% 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.
- 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.
- Brakes (3.3% 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
How many 2020 Hyundai Tucsons pass their MOT?
89.5% of the 44,268 2020 Hyundai Tucson MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 10.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Hyundai Tucson?
Visibility, recorded in 4.7% of tests, followed by tyres (4.0%).
Does the 2020 Tucson get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 8.3% in the 0-30k band to 14.3% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 44,268 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.