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MOT fail rates by first-use year

2010 Hyundai i20 MOT fail rate and common faults

How Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2010 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 39,426 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated

At 15 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 15 (n=8,859)39.6%
All cars at 15 years (n=5,591,675)41.6%
Difference−2.0 pts
MOT tests of 2010 cars, 2022 to 202539,426

What stands out

  • In 2025, at 15 years old, Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2010 failed 39.6% of MOTs (8,859 tests), 2.0 points below the 41.6% for all cars that age.
  • From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 12 to 15 years old, the fail rate moved from 36.5% to 39.6%.
  • Hyundai i20 cars first used a year earlier, in 2009, failed 41.7% at the same age of 15 years (9,368 tests, in 2024).
  • The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Hyundai i20 at 15 years, is airbag (SRS) warning light on, at 3.0 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 0.8).

MOT fail rate by test year

Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2010: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test yearAgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifference
202212 years36.5%10,63536.0%+0.5 pts
202313 years39.0%10,22738.3%+0.8 pts
202414 years40.5%9,70540.3%+0.2 pts
202515 years39.6%8,85941.6%−2.0 pts

Most common faults at 15 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 15 years: cars first used 2008 to 2010, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=18,333). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail itemPer 100 MOTsAll cars
Side/position light not working Wear8.75.8
Brake light not working Wear6.23.7
Wipers not clearing screen Wear3.72.4
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Wear3.42.3
Airbag (SRS) warning light on3.00.8
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Wear2.72.0
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded2.51.3
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear2.43.1
Handbrake too weak2.42.3
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2.10.9

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=18,333). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

AdvisoryPer 100 MOTsAll cars
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material16.17.2
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear14.518.4
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened13.611.1
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear13.19.4
Coil spring: corroded7.47.0
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear7.25.9
Brake pads wearing thin Wear6.86.9
Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)6.62.7
Macpherson strut pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement5.90.6
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive5.59.8

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=18,333). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 15 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 15 years: cars first used 2008 to 2010, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=18,333). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

FuelShare of testsMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars, same fuelMedian mileage
Petrol93.9%40.3%17,21241.5%79,959 miles
Diesel6.1%47.0%1,12042.0%100,026 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 15 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 15 years: cars first used 2008 to 2010, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=18,333). At 15 years, Hyundai i20 cars at 120,000 to 150,000 miles failed more often (51.1%, n=1,846) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (30.1%, n=3,835). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles30.1%3,83531.4%
60,000 to 90,000 miles41.7%6,39340.5%
90,000 to 120,000 miles46.7%4,85345.1%
120,000 to 150,000 miles51.1%1,84645.9%

Car tax rules for a 2010 car

  • Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

  • Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
  • The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Hyundai i20

Other Hyundai models first used in 2010

ModelAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Hyundai i10 (2010)15 years in 202537.6%18,11341.6%
Hyundai i30 (2010)15 years in 202547.1%9,33641.6%
Hyundai Santa Fe (2010)15 years in 202547.9%2,82741.6%
Hyundai ix35 (2010)15 years in 202543.3%2,56641.6%

More on the Hyundai i20

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.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2010 Hyundai i20 cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

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

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.