72.6%
Hyundai I20 pass rate
Used Hyundai I20 buying guide
In 2025, Hyundai I20 cars passed 72.6% of 133,064 initial MOT tests, in line with the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific I20? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Hyundai I20 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+0.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the I20 sits 300th of 575 models in the data. Hyundai as a brand averaged 73.9%, so this model runs 1.3 points behind its own brand. Hyundai I20 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Hyundai I20 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the I20 compares with similar cars.
I20 fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Hyundai I20 cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 4% of tests.
Where the I20 fails its MOT
Where Hyundai I20 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (7.3%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.9%) and ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.4%). See every common I20 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Hyundai I20 that failed, not a claim that every I20 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used I20?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 27.1% of I20 failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 21.8% of I20 failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 14.9% of I20 failure items.
4
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 12.4% of I20 failure items.
5
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 11% of I20 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
I20 vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Hyundai I20 failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact I20 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Hyundai history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Hyundai models
The most-tested Hyundai models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the I20.
Used Hyundai I20 FAQs
Is the Hyundai I20 reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 72.6% first-time pass rate for the Hyundai I20 across 133,064 tests in 2025, in line with the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Hyundai I20 cars fail their MOT more often?
Hyundai I20 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.7%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Hyundai I20?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and suspension. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Hyundai I20's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.