MG ZS MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 46 model years and 181,126 tests, the MG ZS passes its MOT 87.7% of the time. Against small SUVs of a similar age (9.2% fail rate), the ZS comes out 3.2pp worse. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
Best and worst ZS years
Ranked across ZS 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: 2023 cars pass 92.4% of the time while 2002 cars manage 69.4%, a 23.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (4.8%) and brakes (4.6%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp, headlamp aim and tread depth — headlamp alone was recorded 5,470 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 31.4% once past 150k — 3.9× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 19.6pp more often than electric ones (29.0% vs 9.5%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 22.3% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 14.4% in 2021 to 12.8% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every ZS model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 551 | 72.0% | 28.0% | Brakes |
| 2002 | 1,678 | 69.4% | 30.6% | Brakes |
| 2003 | 2,111 | 69.9% | 30.1% | Brakes |
| 2004 | 2,771 | 73.2% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 1,877 | 74.0% | 26.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 360 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 2,024 | 83.0% | 17.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 28,753 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Brakes |
| 2019 | 39,242 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 42,223 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 33,428 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 23,072 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 2,731 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2024 | 231 | 96.1% | 3.9% | Tyres |
| 2025 | 46 | 97.8% | 2.2% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 4.8% | 8,735 |
| 2 | Brakes | 4.6% | 8,274 |
| 3 | Tyres | 4.5% | 8,081 |
| 4 | Suspension | 2.1% | 3,882 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.8% | 3,347 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 2,345 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.8% | 1,372 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 751 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp | 5,470 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 3,961 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 3,829 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 3,075 |
| 5 | Service brake performance | 3,035 |
| 6 | Brake discs | 2,937 |
| 7 | Wipers | 2,332 |
| 8 | Rbt (sp) | 1,638 |
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 | 22.3% | 40,319 |
| 2 | Brakes | 21.8% | 39,514 |
| 3 | Other defects | 8.3% | 15,098 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.9% | 10,681 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.3% | 4,213 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 2.1% | 3,780 |
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 | 96,431 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 66,397 | 15.4% |
| 60-90k | 12,183 | 21.6% |
| 90-120k | 3,998 | 26.4% |
| 120-150k | 1,382 | 28.5% |
| 150k+ | 729 | 31.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 135,658 | 13.2% |
| Electric | 44,752 | 9.5% |
| Diesel | 668 | 29.0% |
| Hybrid | 48 | 0.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8,866 | 14.4% |
| 2022 | 18,267 | 11.8% |
| 2023 | 32,542 | 11.6% |
| 2024 | 49,792 | 11.8% |
| 2025 | 71,659 | 12.8% |
What to check before buying a MG ZS
- Lighting & signalling (4.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (4.6% 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 (4.5% 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.
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 MG ZS?
87.7% of the 181,126 MG ZS MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.3% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the MG ZS most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 4.8% of tests, then brakes (4.6%).
Which ZS years are best and worst for MOT results?
2023 has the best pass rate at 92.4% and 2002 the weakest at 69.4%, from 2,731 and 1,678 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect ZS MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 31.4% for 150k+, a 23.4-point difference.
Is the electric or diesel ZS more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 9.5% of the time against 29.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 181,126 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.