Infiniti Q50 MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 8 model years and 14,668 tests, the Infiniti Q50 passes its MOT 84.3% of the time. Executive cars of a similar age fail 13.2% of the time, so this is 2.5pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are brakes, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Q50 years
Ranked across Q50 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: 2017 cars pass 86.5% of the time while 2014 cars manage 81.9%, a 4.6-point spread.
No single area dominates — brakes (6.7%) and tyres (6.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, tread depth and ball joint — brake pads alone was recorded 729 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 10.5% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.0% once past 150k.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 11.6% fail against 16.3% for diesel, a 4.7-point gap across 13,418 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 23.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 14.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 17.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Q50 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 89 | 83.2% | 16.9% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 2,435 | 81.9% | 18.1% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 4,442 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 3,724 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Brakes |
| 2017 | 2,344 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Brakes |
| 2018 | 1,528 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Brakes |
| 2019 | 98 | 92.9% | 7.1% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 6.7% | 987 |
| 2 | Tyres | 6.2% | 906 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 3.9% | 576 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.9% | 565 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.1% | 303 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.2% | 175 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.7% | 99 |
| 8 | Road wheels | 0.6% | 85 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake pads | 729 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 547 |
| 3 | Ball joint | 283 |
| 4 | Linkage ball joints | 274 |
| 5 | Wipers | 271 |
| 6 | Brake discs | 219 |
| 7 | Position lamp | 155 |
| 8 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 152 |
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 | 23.4% | 3,432 |
| 2 | Tyres | 23.1% | 3,385 |
| 3 | Suspension | 19.9% | 2,915 |
| 4 | Other defects | 5.9% | 862 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.2% | 470 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.6% | 380 |
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 | 1,233 | 10.5% |
| 30-60k | 5,175 | 13.5% |
| 60-90k | 5,148 | 17.1% |
| 90-120k | 2,183 | 19.2% |
| 120-150k | 648 | 17.9% |
| 150k+ | 280 | 20.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 12,609 | 16.3% |
| Petrol | 1,235 | 11.8% |
| Hybrid | 809 | 11.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,009 | 14.4% |
| 2022 | 2,993 | 14.3% |
| 2023 | 2,981 | 15.8% |
| 2024 | 2,870 | 16.4% |
| 2025 | 2,815 | 17.6% |
What to check before buying a Infiniti Q50
- Brakes (6.7% 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.
- Tyres (6.2% 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 (3.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£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 Infiniti Q50?
84.3% of the 14,668 Infiniti Q50 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.7% fail rate, across model years 2013–2020.
What does the Infiniti Q50 most often fail its MOT on?
Brakes, recorded in 6.7% of tests, then tyres (6.2%).
Which Q50 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2017 has the best pass rate at 86.5% and 2014 the weakest at 81.9%, from 2,344 and 2,435 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Q50 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.5% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.0% for 150k+, a 9.5-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Q50 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 11.6% of the time against 16.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 14,668 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.