122,871 tests in 2025
Hyundai I20 reliability and MOT pass rate
79.1% passed first time. The 20.9% fail rate is 1.7 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 56,320 miles.
Pass rate
79.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
56,320 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 16,260 | 9.4% |
| 6-9 years | 38,224 | 13.9% |
| 10-13 years | 43,571 | 25.4% |
| 14+ years | 24,489 | 31.5% |
What the I20 fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Brakes3,694 dangerous35.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment201 dangerous32.3%
- Suspension271 dangerous31%
- Tyres5,728 dangerous23.2%
- Visibility5 dangerous20.8%
- Body, chassis, structure76 dangerous8.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks22 dangerous8.5%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3 dangerous6.4%
Is the I20 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 3.1 points to 21.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 122,815 | 8 | 18.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 124,667 | 9 | 19.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 109,326 | — | 21.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 118,837 | — | 21.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical I20 at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a I20 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working3,089 tests
- 2Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt3,073 tests
- 3Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively2,377 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,081 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,061 tests
- 6Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid1,676 tests
- 7Stop lamp: not working1,670 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements1,551 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical I20 collects 2.63 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm15,982 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure15,137 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened11,388 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick9,966 tests
- 5Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded9,147 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn3,992 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened3,353 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding3,305 tests
Questions
What is the Hyundai I20 MOT pass rate?
79.1% of the 122,871 Hyundai I20 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Hyundai I20 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 3,089 failed tests, followed by "Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively". By section, brakes appears in 35.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 32.3% of failures, suspension appears in 31% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.4%; at 14+ years it was 31.5%. The median Hyundai I20 tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 56,320 miles.
Is the Hyundai I20 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 3.1 points to 21.2% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every I20 trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 3 safety recalls naming the Hyundai I20: Hyundai I20 recalls.
Other Hyundai models
Checking a particular I20?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.