Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

MOT data by first-use year

1998 MG MGF: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 1,060 MOT tests · Updated

37.4% of 1998 MG MGF cars failed their MOT at 24 years (1,060 MOT tests), an age when only survivors are still tested [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Handbrake too weak: fails 2.3–2.9× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 24 years, 4,575 MOT tests of MG MGF cars first used 1998–2001
  • Highest gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year of the 3 MG MGF first-use years tested at 24, 1,060 MOT tests
  • 60,000 to 90,000 miles: 36.6% of MG MGF cars first used 1998–2001 failed at 24 years, against 30.0% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 3,370 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 1998 MG MGF cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 24 years (2022)
37.4%
vs 37.2% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 24 years in 2022
1,060 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+0.2 pts
at 24 years
1,060 MOT tests
Rank at 24 years
Highest of 3
MG MGF first-use years, by gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year
1,060 MOT tests
MOT tests of 1998 cars
1,060
tested 2022, 1 age with 1,000+ tests
1,060 MOT tests

Every MOT age we hold for 1998 MG MGF cars is over 18 years, when only survivors are still tested, so there is no verdict for this year.

Every MG MGF year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

MG MGF first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the MG MGF as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 1998: +0.2 pts. 1998: +0.2 pts (−2.7 to +3.1) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 24, 1,060 MOT tests1998+0.21999: −2.2 pts (−5.1 to +0.7) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 23, 1,074 MOT tests19992000: −5.8 pts (−7.3 to −4.2) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 22–24, 3,365 MOT tests20002001: −9.2 pts (−10.3 to −8.1) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 21–24, 7,008 MOT tests2001 −10.30+10.3 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range. Pale bars: years only seen above 18 years, when only survivors are still tested.

1998 MG MGF fail rate at each MOT

1998 MG MGF cars had one MOT age with at least 1,000 tests in the data: 24 years, in 2022.

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202224 years*37.4%34.5%–40.3%1,06037.2%+0.2 pts

* Above 18 years only survivors are still tested, so these rows say less about the vehicle when new and do not count towards the verdict.

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

What fails on an MG MGF at 24 years

All MG MGF MOTs at 24 years, cars first used 1998–2001 (4,575 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: handbrake too weak (6.0 per 100 MOT tests), catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (3.7 per 100 MOT tests) and catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (3.7 per 100 MOT tests).

Handbrake too weak: fails 2.3–2.9× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 24 years

MG MGF cars first used 1998–2001 at 60,000 to 90,000 miles failed 36.6% of MOTs at 24 years (1,779 MOT tests), against 30.0% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (1,591 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 36.8% and 31.2%.

Car tax and ULEZ for a 1998 car

Cars first registered before 1 March 2001 are taxed by engine size. [2] Car tax calculator for a 1998 petrol car

For the London ULEZ, a 1998 petrol usually does not meet Euro 4. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [3] ULEZ checker

Buying an MG MGF? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

Other MG MGF years

  • 1998
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2001

Every MG MGF first-use year

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 1998 MG MGF?

37.4% at 24 years (tested 2022), from 1,060 MOT tests, against 37.2% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 24 years in 2022.

At what ages were 1998 MG MGF cars MOT tested in the data?

1 age with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 24 years, tested 2022, 1,060 MOT tests in all. Ages over 18 are shown but not used for the verdict.

What fails most on an MG MGF at 24 years?

6.0 in 100 MOT tests failed on handbrake too weak, the most common fail item. From 4,575 MOT tests of MG MGF cars first used 1998–2001, not only 1998.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 1,060 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 24 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 24 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare