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MG GS, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

2,656 MG GS cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 73.1% of initial MOT tests, 0.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

MG GS at the MOT

73.1% of 2,849 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the GS 291st of 575 models. MG GS cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 73.9% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 73.1%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • MG GS73.1%
  • All MG modelsThe GS is 7.8 pts behind80.9%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

MG GS tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years165 tests73.9%
  • 6 to 10 years2,684 tests73.1%

Where GS cars fail

Share of all failure items recorded on MG GS tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment31.2%
  • Brakes22.1%
  • Tyres17.5%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7%
  • Visibility6.5%

The items testers recorded most often were headlamp aim too low (10.4%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (7.1%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (6.3%).

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

Full MG GS MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The GS'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.31.2% of GS 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.22.1% of GS failure items

  3. 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.17.5% of GS failure items

MG GS cars in the UK

2,656 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 80% since the end of 2017, although it peaked at 2,779 at the end of 2021.

Change since 2017
+80%from 1,472 licensed
Typical year of first use
2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
Declared off the road
411.5% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed MG GS cars since 2016

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2016518
End of 20171,472
End of 20182,416
End of 20192,770
End of 20202,767
End of 20212,779
End of 20222,761
End of 20232,745
End of 20242,733
End of 20252,712
End of June 20262,656

How old they are

Licensed MG GS cars by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2019350366
2018930976
2017894963
2016534577

GS engine sizes

1.5 litre engines made up 99% of MG GS MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed GS cars.

Other MG models

The most-tested MG models in 2025, against the GS's 73.1% MOT pass rate.

All 12 MG models

MG GS FAQs

How many MG GS cars are there in the UK?

2,656 MG GS cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 41 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the MG GS 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 73.1% first-time pass rate for the MG GS across 2,849 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used MG GS?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and tyres. 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 MG GS'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 a GS?

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.