MG HS, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
128,571 MG HS cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.3% of initial MOT tests, 16 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific HS? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
MG HS at the MOT
88.3% of 32,722 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the HS 62nd of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where HS cars fail
Share of all failure items recorded on MG HS tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (10.5%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (9.3%) and headlamp aim too low (8.9%).
The MOT page lists every common HS MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The HS's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.25.2% of HS failure items
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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.25.2% of HS failure items
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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.23.4% of HS failure items
MG HS cars in the UK
128,571 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any MG. The number licensed has grown 355% since the end of 2022.
- Change since 2022
- +355%from 28,231 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2024half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2024 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 30,204against 30,213 in 2024
- Declared off the road
- 3040.2% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed MG HS cars since 2019
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2019 | 97 |
| End of 2020 | 2,940 |
| End of 2021 | 11,094 |
| End of 2022 | 28,231 |
| End of 2023 | 53,311 |
| End of 2024 | 81,571 |
| End of 2025 | 111,666 |
| End of June 2026 | 128,571 |
How old they are
Licensed MG HS cars by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 94 were first used before 2020.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 29,583 | 30,204 |
| 2024 | 27,895 | 30,213 |
| 2023 | 26,748 | 27,884 |
| 2022 | 16,531 | 17,942 |
| 2021 | 7,885 | 8,253 |
| 2020 | 2,927 | 3,091 |
HS engines and fuel
1.5 litre engines made up 99% of MG HS MOT tests in 2025. Petrol accounts for 69% of licensed HS cars and plug-in hybrid for 19%.
Fuel type, licensed HS cars
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 89,006 | 69% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 24,621 | 19% |
| Hybrid electric | 14,944 | 12% |
MG HS recalls
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the MG HS. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every HS is affected.
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Mar 2023 R/2023/050
On affected vehicles the position of the PTC Ground Wire may not be correctly anchored to the vehicle Body. This can potentially result in insulation being trapped between the wire and the body creating a poor connection and a risk of over-heating
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Check the insulation and modifying if necessary.
MG HS FAQs
How many MG HS cars are there in the UK?
128,571 MG HS cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 304 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the MG HS 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 88.3% first-time pass rate for the MG HS across 32,722 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the MG HS had any recalls?
1 DVSA safety recall launched from 1992 to October 2026 names the MG HS. The most recent was published in March 2023. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used MG HS?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. 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 HS'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 HS?
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). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. 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.