75.1%
MG3
MG3 MOT pass rate and common problems
The MG3 passed 75.1% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 2.8 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 MG3 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
80.9%
MG average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The MG3 runs 5.8 points behind the MG average. It is 6th of the 12 MG models in the data. The average MG3 arrived at its test 6.6 years old with 38,982 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.
MG3 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
MG3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 80.1% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.9%, a drop of 17.1 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 8,187 | 80.1% | 7.8 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 12,695 | 70.3% | 2 pts below |
| 11 years and over | 898 | 62.9% | 9.4 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where MG3 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on MG3 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and tyres together account for 43.9% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common MG3 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on MG3 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 45.4% of everything testers recorded against failed MG3 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a MG3
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 13.2% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: headlamp aim too low and headlamp not working on dipped beam. 10.6% of failure items.
3
Visibility
Recorded most often: wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively and washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 10.5% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and coil spring fractured or broken. 7.8% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific MG3 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used MG3 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
MG3 MOT FAQs
What is the MG3 MOT pass rate?
75.1% of MG3 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 24,993 tests. That is 2.8 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 264th of 575 models.
What does a MG3 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on MG3 cars failing their 2025 MOT was wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively, on 7.2% of failure items. Next were headlamp aim too low (6.4%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.1%).
Which area causes the most MG3 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 24.8%, followed by tyres at 19.1%.
Do older MG3 cars fail their MOT more often?
MG3 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 80.1% of MOT tests in 2025, against 62.9% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every MG3 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every MG3 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 MG3'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.