71.1%
Hyundai I40 pass rate
Used Hyundai I40 buying guide
In 2025, Hyundai I40 cars passed 71.1% of 19,840 initial MOT tests, 1.2 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific I40? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Hyundai I40 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−1.2
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the I40 sits 334th of 575 models in the data. Hyundai as a brand averaged 73.9%, so this model runs 2.8 points behind its own brand. Hyundai I40 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Hyundai I40 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the I40 compares with similar cars.
I40 fuel types
Diesel made up 98.6% of Hyundai I40 MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. Almost every used example you look at will be a diesel.
Where the I40 fails its MOT
Where Hyundai I40 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 brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (6.9%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (6.4%) and headlamp not working on dipped beam (5.6%). See every common I40 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Hyundai I40 that failed, not a claim that every I40 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used I40?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
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. 24.4% of I40 failure items.
2
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. 19.2% of I40 failure items.
3
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 16% of I40 failure items.
4
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. 14.8% of I40 failure items.
5
Steering
Feel for play, knocking or stiffness in the steering, and check there is no steering warning light. 9.5% of I40 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.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Hyundai I40 failures cluster around brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 I40 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 I40.
Used Hyundai I40 FAQs
Is the Hyundai I40 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 71.1% first-time pass rate for the Hyundai I40 across 19,840 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Hyundai I40 cars fail their MOT more often?
Hyundai I40 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 83.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.7%. 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 I40?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 I40'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.