Best small family cars by MOT pass rate
These are the cars with the highest MOT pass rates in this dataset for the relevant class, limited to models with at least 5,000 tests and considered against vehicle age. Rankings reflect MOT-testable defects only — see the method note below.
| # | Car | Pass rate | Fail rate | Tests | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hyundai Ioniq | 91.5% | 8.5% | 179,335 | Tyres |
| 2 | Lexus Ct | 90.6% | 9.4% | 162,345 | Lighting & signalling |
| 3 | Toyota Prius+ | 88.5% | 11.5% | 862,775 | Lighting & signalling |
| 4 | Mini Clubman | 88.2% | 11.8% | 145,357 | Tyres |
| 5 | Mercedes-Benz CLA | 86.4% | 13.6% | 319,067 | Tyres |
| 6 | Nissan Leaf | 86.3% | 13.7% | 210,439 | Tyres |
| 7 | Mercedes-Benz A-Class | 85.1% | 14.9% | 1,863,609 | Tyres |
| 8 | Toyota Auris | 84.9% | 15.1% | 909,754 | Lighting & signalling |
| 9 | Bmw 1 Series | 83.9% | 16.1% | 2,262,182 | Lighting & signalling |
| 10 | Seat Leon | 83.4% | 16.6% | 1,006,405 | Suspension |
| 11 | Skoda Octavia- | 83.0% | 17.0% | 1,157,992 | Lighting & signalling |
| 12 | Audi A3 | 82.3% | 17.7% | 2,403,046 | Suspension |
| 13 | Volkswagen Golf | 81.5% | 18.6% | 5,284,210 | Suspension |
| 14 | Volvo V40 | 81.2% | 18.8% | 600,591 | Suspension |
| 15 | Toyota Corolla | 79.6% | 20.4% | 496,563 | Lighting & signalling |
| 16 | Ford Focus | 79.5% | 20.5% | 5,876,438 | Lighting & signalling |
| 17 | Mazda 3 | 79.2% | 20.8% | 670,926 | Suspension |
| 18 | Honda Civic | 79.1% | 20.9% | 1,771,579 | Lighting & signalling |
| 19 | Kia Ceed | 78.7% | 21.3% | 713,067 | Lighting & signalling |
| 20 | Alfa Romeo Giulietta | 78.7% | 21.3% | 160,263 | Lighting & signalling |
| 21 | Hyundai I30 | 78.3% | 21.7% | 653,966 | Lighting & signalling |
| 22 | Peugeot 308 | 77.8% | 22.2% | 859,471 | Lighting & signalling |
| 23 | Vauxhall Astra | 77.6% | 22.4% | 4,330,153 | Lighting & signalling |
| 24 | Citroen C4 | 75.7% | 24.3% | 895,080 | Lighting & signalling |
| 25 | Volvo C30 | 74.3% | 25.7% | 157,003 | Lighting & signalling |
| 26 | Volvo V50 | 71.7% | 28.3% | 223,891 | Suspension |
| 27 | Renault Megane | 71.5% | 28.5% | 779,679 | Lighting & signalling |
| 28 | Citroen Xsara | 69.3% | 30.7% | 244,642 | Lighting & signalling |
| 29 | Peugeot 307 | 69.1% | 30.9% | 279,253 | Lighting & signalling |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-01. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.