Used car rankings from MOT data
Most reliable family hatchbacks against cars the same age
We ranked 36 family hatchbacks by how often they failed their MOT at 3 to 15 years old, each against all cars at the same ages. From 20,740,292 DVSA MOT tests in Great Britain, 2022 to 2025.
MOT data updated
First in this list (n=116,144)15.9%
All cars, same ages25.7%
Difference38% lower
MOT tests used20,740,292
First in this list: Lexus CT.
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 at each age from 3 to 15 years, pooled, against all cars at the same ages.
- Order: by the fail rate divided by the rate for all cars at the same ages, shown as the difference in per cent. Fail rates rise with age, so a ratio keeps a model seen only at older ages from looking better than it is.
- Comparison: all cars means every class 4 MOT test 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, and a row needs at least 3 ages in this list. A list is published only with at least 10 ranked rows.
- Typical mileage: the median odometer reading at each age, averaged over the row's ages by number of tests.
- Segments: from our checked list that puts each DVSA model family in one segment; this list covers family hatchbacks and other small family cars. Families that change body type between generations without a split in the data are left out.
- 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 cars, same ages | Difference | Ages | Tests (n) | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexus CTCommon problems · ULEZ | 15.9% | 25.7% | 38% lower | 4 to 13 | 116,144 | 66,800 miles |
| 2 | Toyota PriusCommon problems · Recalls | 19.6% | 24.8% | 21% lower | 3 to 15 | 547,101 | 116,600 miles |
| 3 | Honda Insight (from 2009)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 30.6% | 37.8% | 19% lower | 12 to 14 | 20,887 | 103,300 miles |
| 4 | Volkswagen GolfCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.3% | 26.0% | 18% lower | 3 to 15 | 2,861,198 | 72,400 miles |
| 5 | Audi A3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.0% | 26.1% | 15% lower | 3 to 15 | 1,469,160 | 75,300 miles |
| 6 | BMW 2 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 15.3% | 18.1% | 15% lower | 3 to 11 | 478,855 | 44,500 miles |
| 7 | Toyota Corolla (from 2019)Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 10.7% | 12.6% | 15% lower | 3 to 6 | 181,405 | 36,100 miles |
| 8 | BMW 1 SeriesCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 22.4% | 25.7% | 13% lower | 3 to 15 | 1,440,178 | 70,400 miles |
| 9 | Toyota AurisCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 24.9% | 28.1% | 11% lower | 4 to 15 | 558,784 | 70,300 miles |
| 10 | MINI ClubmanCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 17.1% | 19.1% | 10% lower | 4 to 9 | 100,867 | 47,200 miles |
| 11 | Skoda OctaviaCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.7% | 24.1% | 10% lower | 3 to 15 | 727,126 | 80,300 miles |
| 12 | Hyundai IoniqCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 13.4% | 14.4% | 7% lower | 3 to 8 | 151,341 | 49,100 miles |
| 13 | Honda CivicCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 26.5% | 28.4% | 7% lower | 3 to 15 | 746,201 | 72,200 miles |
| 14 | SEAT LeonCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 21.8% | 23.0% | 5% lower | 3 to 15 | 679,907 | 67,400 miles |
| 15 | Mercedes-Benz A-ClassCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 19.6% | 20.3% | 4% lower | 3 to 15 | 1,268,787 | 52,300 miles |
| 16 | Mercedes-Benz CLACommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 18.7% | 17.9% | 4% higher | 3 to 11 | 241,290 | 51,700 miles |
| 17 | Mazda 3Common problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 28.1% | 26.8% | 5% higher | 3 to 15 | 369,917 | 64,800 miles |
| 18 | Volkswagen e-GolfCommon problems · ULEZ | 13.2% | 12.6% | 5% higher | 3 to 5 | 19,410 | 27,700 miles |
| 19 | Ford FocusCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 28.7% | 27.3% | 5% higher | 3 to 15 | 3,133,092 | 70,900 miles |
| 20 | Skoda RapidCommon problems · Recalls · ULEZ | 24.8% | 23.5% | 6% higher | 5 to 11 | 84,019 | 65,500 miles |
What stands out
- Lexus CT comes first: 15.9% against 25.7% for all cars at the same ages, 38% lower (n=116,144).
- 15 of the 36 ranked family hatchbacks fail less often than all cars at the same ages.
- In the 20 shown, the difference from all cars runs from 38% lower to 6% higher.
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 22 September 2026.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources