Used car rankings from MOT data
Most reliable 3 year old electric cars by MOT fail rate
We ranked 20 electric cars by the share of MOT tests they failed at 3 years old, against 12.7% for all electric cars that age. From 394,467 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=21,920)7.6%
All electric cars, same age12.7%
Ranked20
MOT tests used394,467
First in this list: Jaguar I-Pace.
How this ranking works
- Data: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal tests in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), 2022 to 2025. Northern Ireland tests its cars separately and is not included. A fail is a test marked fail or passed after a repair at the test station.
- Measure: share of MOTs failed by cars 3 years old (test year minus first-use year).
- Comparison: all electric cars means every class 4 MOT test on electric except vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases and used imports, weighted to each row's own mix of ages.
- Thresholds: every age behind a row here has at least 5,000 tests. A model generation is ranked only with at least 3 ages of 1,000 tests or more. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- Fuel: as DVSA records it on each test. Each row is one model generation on electric; where a model is also sold with other fuels, the row is named with the fuel and its figures differ from the model's all-fuel MOT page.
- Vans, pickups, taxis, campers, van-based people carriers, motorhome and minibus bases, and models sold here mainly as used imports are left out of car lists.
- Years in brackets are the first-use years of a model generation.
The ranking
| # | Model | MOT fail rate | All electric cars, same age | Tests (n) | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jaguar I-PaceCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 7.6% | 12.7% | 21,920 | 25,700 miles |
| 2 | Nissan LeafCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 9.0% | 12.7% | 31,292 | 20,900 miles |
| 3 | Porsche TaycanCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 9.5% | 12.7% | 10,667 | 22,300 miles |
| 4 | Audi e-tronCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 10.4% | 12.7% | 18,377 | 27,600 miles |
| 5 | Vauxhall Mokka (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 10.7% | 12.7% | 8,842 | 20,200 miles |
| 6 | Volkswagen ID.3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 10.7% | 12.7% | 25,185 | 24,000 miles |
| 7 | MINI ElectricCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.0% | 12.7% | 16,965 | 15,900 miles |
| 8 | Kia Niro (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.5% | 12.7% | 36,654 | 33,600 miles |
| 9 | Renault ZoeCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.5% | 12.7% | 20,153 | 17,900 miles |
| 10 | BMW i3 (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 11.8% | 12.7% | 14,712 | 17,500 miles |
| 11 | Hyundai Kona (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.0% | 12.7% | 18,702 | 26,000 miles |
| 12 | MG ZS (electric) (from 2017)Common problems · ULEZ | 12.6% | 12.7% | 18,423 | 23,800 miles |
| 13 | Peugeot 2008 (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.8% | 12.7% | 10,853 | 22,800 miles |
| 14 | Hyundai Ioniq (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 12.8% | 12.7% | 9,192 | 24,900 miles |
| 15 | Volkswagen e-GolfCommon problems · ULEZ | 13.0% | 12.7% | 6,313 | 20,600 miles |
| 16 | Peugeot 208 (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 13.6% | 12.7% | 11,901 | 18,500 miles |
| 17 | Fiat 500 (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 14.1% | 12.7% | 7,288 | 14,000 miles |
| 18 | Tesla Model 3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 15.7% | 12.7% | 81,836 | 32,900 miles |
| 19 | Vauxhall Corsa (electric)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 16.5% | 12.7% | 12,744 | 19,000 miles |
| 20 | Mercedes-Benz EQCCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 17.0% | 12.7% | 12,448 | 28,300 miles |
What stands out
- Jaguar I-Pace has the lowest MOT fail rate in this list: 7.6% (n=21,920), against 12.7% for all electric cars that age.
- 12 of the 20 ranked electric cars fail less often than all electric cars at the same age.
- In the 20 shown, the fail rate runs from 7.6% to 17.0%.
- 2 other rows are within 2 points of the first, so read close positions as level rather than as a strict order.
Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.
More rankings
All used car rankings · MOT fail rates by make and model · Common problems by model · Recalls by model · ULEZ by model
Looking at one car?
A ranking describes model generations, not the car in front of you. The VetTheCar Buying Report reads one car's MOT history, mileage and recalls and sets them against cars like it.
Source
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources