SsangYong Tivoli MOT pass rate & common failures
36,802 MOT tests on the SsangYong Tivoli (2015–2023) give it an 83.1% pass rate. Small SUVs of a similar age fail 12.6% of the time, so this is 4.4pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst Tivoli years
Ranked across Tivoli 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: 2019 cars pass 87.6% of the time while 2015 cars manage 80.5%, a 7.1-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (8.5%) and tyres (7.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are registration plate lamp(s), brake pads and wipers — registration plate lamp(s) alone was recorded 2,199 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 21.2% versus 10.9%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 15.7% fail against 18.3% for diesel, a 2.6-point gap across 36,792 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 25.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 14.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Tivoli model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,971 | 80.5% | 19.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 12,196 | 82.1% | 17.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 7,682 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 6,282 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 3,307 | 87.6% | 12.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 995 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 339 | 89.1% | 10.9% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.5% | 3,140 |
| 2 | Tyres | 7.4% | 2,720 |
| 3 | Brakes | 6.5% | 2,388 |
| 4 | Visibility | 5.1% | 1,881 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.0% | 731 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.5% | 567 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.4% | 146 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 128 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 2,199 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 1,354 |
| 3 | Wipers | 1,257 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 981 |
| 5 | Washers | 956 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 751 |
| 7 | Headlamp aim | 646 |
| 8 | Service brake performance | 483 |
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 | 25.3% | 9,309 |
| 2 | Tyres | 23.2% | 8,526 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 10.4% | 3,819 |
| 4 | Other defects | 7.2% | 2,661 |
| 5 | Suspension | 4.3% | 1,563 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.3% | 1,208 |
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 | 11,298 | 10.9% |
| 30-60k | 16,988 | 17.8% |
| 60-90k | 6,666 | 22.7% |
| 90-120k | 1,427 | 26.2% |
| 120-150k | 290 | 25.9% |
| 150k+ | 132 | 21.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 18,766 | 15.7% |
| Diesel | 18,026 | 18.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6,310 | 14.0% |
| 2022 | 7,158 | 14.7% |
| 2023 | 7,683 | 17.1% |
| 2024 | 7,808 | 19.0% |
| 2025 | 7,843 | 19.1% |
What to check before buying a SsangYong Tivoli
- Lighting & signalling (8.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (7.4% 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 (6.5% 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 SsangYong Tivoli?
83.1% of the 36,802 SsangYong Tivoli MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.9% fail rate, across model years 2015–2023.
What does the SsangYong Tivoli most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.5% of tests, then tyres (7.4%).
Which Tivoli years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 87.6% and 2015 the weakest at 80.5%, from 3,307 and 5,971 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Tivoli MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 21.2% for 150k+, a 10.3-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Tivoli more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 15.7% of the time against 18.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 36,802 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.