31,187 tests in 2025
Hyundai Santa reliability and MOT pass rate
73.6% passed first time. The 26.4% fail rate is 3.8 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 11 years old with 85,528 miles.
Pass rate
73.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 26.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
85,528 mi
11 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 3,093 | 8.8% |
| 6-9 years | 9,141 | 16.8% |
| 10-13 years | 8,950 | 30.8% |
| 14+ years | 9,433 | 38.5% |
What the Santa 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.
- Suspension226 dangerous41.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment35 dangerous35.7%
- Brakes1,463 dangerous31%
- Tyres1,951 dangerous23.2%
- Body, chassis, structure50 dangerous16.3%
- Steering102 dangerous14.7%
- Visibility2 dangerous10.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks9 dangerous6.4%
Is the Santa getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.4 points to 28.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 36,174 | 10 | 27.9% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 34,511 | 10 | 28.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 28,698 | 11 | 28.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 28,345 | 11 | 28.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Santa 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 Santa in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,294 tests
- 2Position lamp: not working934 tests
- 3Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt891 tests
- 4Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play872 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick842 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm744 tests
- 7Stop lamp: not working598 tests
- 8Condition: has ply or cords exposed567 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Santa collects 3.01 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 1.6mm6,053 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick3,353 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,879 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn2,376 tests
- 5Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,960 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,855 tests
- 7Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,845 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,644 tests
Questions
What is the Hyundai Santa MOT pass rate?
73.6% of the 31,187 Hyundai Santa first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 26.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Hyundai Santa usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn", recorded on 1,294 failed tests, followed by "Position lamp: not working" and "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, suspension appears in 41.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 35.7% of failures, brakes appears in 31% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 8.8%; at 14+ years it was 38.5%. The median Hyundai Santa tested in 2025 was 11 years old with 85,528 miles.
Is the Hyundai Santa getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.4 points to 28.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year. Ageing alone would predict about 2.7 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
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 Santa trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Hyundai models
Checking a particular Santa?
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.