MOT fail rates by first-use year

2012 Hyundai i20 MOT fail rate and common faults

How Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2012 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 39,163 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 13 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 13 (n=9,344)41.2%

All cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160)38.3%

Difference+2.9 pts

MOT tests of 2012 cars, 2022 to 202539,163

What stands out

In 2025, at 13 years old, Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2012 failed 41.2% of MOTs (9,344 tests), 2.9 points above the 38.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 10 to 13 years old, the fail rate moved from 36.8% to 41.2%.
Hyundai i20 cars first used a year earlier, in 2011, failed 40.7% at the same age of 13 years (9,750 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Hyundai i20 at 13 years, is suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, at 3.0 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 0.7).

MOT fail rate by test year

Hyundai i20 cars first used in 2012: 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 year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	10 years	36.8%	10,120	30.3%	+6.5 pts
2023	11 years	38.0%	9,956	33.3%	+4.7 pts
2024	12 years	41.3%	9,743	36.0%	+5.3 pts
2025	13 years	41.2%	9,344	38.3%	+2.9 pts

Most common faults at 13 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=39,831). 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 item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Side/position light not working Wear	8.4	4.8
Brake light not working Wear	4.5	3.1
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	3.2	2.1
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Wear	3.1	2.0
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	3.0	0.7
Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded	2.6	0.9
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Wear	2.5	1.8
Airbag (SRS) warning light on	2.4	0.6
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.3	3.0
Handbrake too weak	2.0	1.7

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=39,831). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	15.1	5.1
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	14.7	18.2
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	12.8	9.1
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	12.4	10.6
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.3	7.3
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	6.7	5.2
Coil spring: corroded	5.7	5.6
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	4.5	7.2
Suspension arm ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated	4.3	1.2
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	4.2	2.0

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=39,831). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 13 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=39,831). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Petrol	94.0%	39.7%	37,420	37.7%	73,557 miles
Diesel	6.0%	44.9%	2,409	39.1%	94,730 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 13 years

These figures cover all Hyundai i20 MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=39,831). At 13 years, Hyundai i20 cars at 120,000 to 150,000 miles failed more often (51.1%, n=2,672) than those at under 30,000 miles (20.9%, n=2,074). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Under 30,000 miles	20.9%	2,074	18.6%
30,000 to 60,000 miles	31.7%	10,213	29.1%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	41.9%	14,964	38.0%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	47.5%	8,884	42.2%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	51.1%	2,672	43.2%

Car tax rules for a 2012 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

2011 Hyundai i20 2013 Hyundai i20

Other Hyundai models first used in 2012

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Hyundai i10 (2012)	13 years in 2025	37.1%	19,832	38.3%
Hyundai i30 (2012)	13 years in 2025	44.8%	8,449	38.3%
Hyundai ix35 (2012)	13 years in 2025	41.4%	7,870	38.3%
Hyundai ix20 (2012)	13 years in 2025	44.2%	3,514	38.3%
Hyundai i40 (2012)	13 years in 2025	38.9%	2,812	38.3%
Hyundai Santa Fe (2012)	13 years in 2025	47.1%	2,868	38.3%

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 2012 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.