13,352 tests in 2025
MG 5 reliability and MOT pass rate
89.5% passed first time. The 10.5% fail rate is 12.1 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 3 years old with 39,843 miles.
Pass rate
89.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 10.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
39,843 mi
3 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 12,592 | 10.7% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the 5 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.
- Tyres631 dangerous52.2%
- Suspension6 dangerous29.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4 dangerous28.8%
- Visibility6.3%
- Brakes18 dangerous4.2%
- Body, chassis, structure6 dangerous1.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.4%
- Identification of the vehicle1%
Is the 5 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.5 points to 10.9% from 2023 to 2025, against a falling rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,196 | — | 6.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 6,847 | — | 8.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 12,144 | — | 10.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical 5 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 5 in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm257 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords233 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak230 tests
- 4Headlamp: not working on dipped beam171 tests
- 5Condition: has ply or cords exposed159 tests
- 6Coil spring: fractured or broken125 tests
- 7Headlamp: not working on main beam119 tests
- 8Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps96 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical 5 collects 2.04 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 1.6mm2,325 tests
- 2Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak761 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure584 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn551 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened463 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm371 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt310 tests
- 8Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre265 tests
Questions
What is the MG 5 MOT pass rate?
89.5% of the 13,352 MG 5 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 10.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a MG 5 usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded on 257 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak". By section, tyres appears in 52.2% of failures, suspension appears in 29.9% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 28.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 10.7%; at 3-5 years it was 10.7%. The median MG 5 tested in 2025 was 3 years old with 39,843 miles.
Is the MG 5 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.5 points to 10.9% from 2023 to 2025, against a falling 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 5 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 MG models
Checking a particular 5?
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.