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MGB, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

25,256 MGBs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 81.7% of initial MOT tests, 9.4 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

MGB at the MOT

81.7% of 4,498 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the MGB 175th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • MGB81.7%
  • All MG modelsThe MGB is 0.8 pts ahead80.9%
  • All cars72.3%

Where MGBs fail

Share of all failure items recorded on MGB tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment30.9%
  • Brakes22.3%
  • Visibility11.3%
  • Suspension10%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.6%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (5.6%), washers not working (5.1%) and service brake imbalance across an axle (4.3%).

The MOT page lists every common MGB MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full MGB MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The MGB's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks 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.30.9% of MGB 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.22.3% of MGB 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.11.3% of MGB failure items

MGBs in the UK

25,256 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 33% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
+33%from 18,930 licensed
Declared off the road
13,26434% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed MGBs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201418,930
End of 201519,525
End of 201619,588
End of 201719,775
End of 201821,519
End of 201922,926
End of 202023,637
End of 202124,824
End of 202225,370
End of 202325,167
End of 202425,435
End of 202525,108
End of June 202625,256

MGB engine sizes

1.8 litre engines made up 89% of MGB MOT tests in 2025, followed by 3.5 litre at 7.2%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed MGBs.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 4,451 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.8 litre88.8%
  • 3.5 litre7.2%
  • 2.0 litre2%

Other MG models

The most-tested MG models in 2025, against the MGB's 81.7% MOT pass rate.

All 12 MG models

MGB FAQs

How many MGBs are there in the UK?

25,256 MGBs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 13,264 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the MGB 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 81.7% first-time pass rate for the MGB across 4,498 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used MGB?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and visibility. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check an MGB'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.

Already found an MGB?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the MG history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the MG VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.