86.3%
Hyundai Kona
Hyundai Kona MOT pass rate and common problems
The Hyundai Kona passed 86.3% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 14 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the Kona compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
73.9%
Hyundai average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The Kona runs 12.3 points ahead of the Hyundai average. It is 2nd of the 17 Hyundai models in the data. The average Kona arrived at its test 4.5 years old with 35,221 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
Kona MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Hyundai Kona cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.3% of MOT tests. For cars aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 85.6%, a drop of 0.7 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 38,516 | 86.3% | 14 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 9,523 | 85.6% | 13.3 pts above |
That is a smaller decline than most cars show. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where Kona failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Hyundai Kona cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 56.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common Kona MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Hyundai Kona cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 70.1% of everything testers recorded against failed Hyundai Kona cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a Kona
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. 29.4% of failure items.
2
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 17.2% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too high and headlamp aim too low. 14.8% of failure items.
4
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick. 5.2% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific Kona has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Hyundai Kona buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Hyundai Kona MOT FAQs
What is the Hyundai Kona MOT pass rate?
86.3% of Hyundai Kona cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 62,765 tests. That is 14 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 102nd of 575 models.
What does a Hyundai Kona most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Hyundai Kona cars failing their 2025 MOT was wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively, on 15.2% of failure items. Next were headlamp aim too high (12.4%) and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (11.6%).
Which area causes the most Hyundai Kona MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 34.6%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 22.3%.
Do older Hyundai Kona cars fail their MOT more often?
Hyundai Kona cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 86.3% of MOT tests in 2025, against 85.6% for cars aged 6 to 10 years.
Does this mean every Hyundai Kona has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Hyundai Kona that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Hyundai Kona's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.