Used Hyundai Tucson buying guide

In 2025, Hyundai Tucson cars passed 83.1% of 168,801 initial MOT tests, 10.8 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.

Looking at a specific Tucson? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Hyundai Tucson MOT record in brief

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.

83.1%

Hyundai Tucson pass rate

72.3%

UK average, all cars

+10.8

percentage points above average

Ranked on pass rate the Tucson sits 157th of 575 models in the data. Hyundai as a brand averaged 73.9%, so this model runs 9.1 points ahead of its own brand. Hyundai Tucson cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 54.3%.

A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Hyundai Tucson MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Tucson compares with similar cars.

Tucson fuel types

Petrol was the most common fuel among Hyundai Tucson cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 29.1% of tests.

Where the Tucson fails its MOT

Where Hyundai Tucson cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  • Brakes29.9%
  • Tyres20%
  • Visibility13.9%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12.7%
  • Suspension7.9%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.2%

The specific items testers recorded most often were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (10.5%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (9.1%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.5%). See every common Tucson MOT failure.

These are DVSA failure records across every Hyundai Tucson that failed, not a claim that every Tucson has these problems.

What should you check when buying a used Tucson?

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. 29.9% of Tucson failure items.

2

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. 20% of Tucson failure items.

3

Visibility

Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 13.9% of Tucson failure items.

4

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. 12.7% of Tucson failure items.

5

Suspension

Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 7.9% of Tucson 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 Tucson failures cluster around brakes and tyres 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 Tucson 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

Used Hyundai Tucson FAQs

Is the Hyundai Tucson 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 an 83.1% first-time pass rate for the Hyundai Tucson across 168,801 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Do older Hyundai Tucson cars fail their MOT more often?

Hyundai Tucson cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 54.3%. 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 Tucson?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, tyres and visibility. 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 Tucson'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.