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MG ZR, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers

1,331 MG ZRs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 65.6% of initial MOT tests, 6.7 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

MG ZR at the MOT

65.6% of 1,721 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the ZR 421st of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • MG ZR65.6%
  • All MG modelsThe ZR is 15.3 pts behind80.9%
  • All cars72.3%

Where ZRs fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment28.2%
  • Brakes15.5%
  • Body, chassis, structure13.8%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks11.2%
  • Suspension10.5%

The items testers recorded most often were component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (6%), joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.6%) and position lamp not working (3.7%).

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

Full MG ZR MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The ZR'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.28.2% of ZR 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.15.5% of ZR failure items

  3. Body, chassis, structure

    Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels.13.8% of ZR failure items

MG ZRs in the UK

1,331 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 95% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−95%from 26,196 licensed
Typical year of first use
2004half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2004 or earlier
Declared off the road
5,62281% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed MG ZRs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201426,196
End of 201519,794
End of 201614,141
End of 20179,724
End of 20186,642
End of 20194,762
End of 20203,539
End of 20212,837
End of 20222,374
End of 20231,950
End of 20241,605
End of 20251,376
End of June 20261,331

How old they are

Licensed MG ZRs by year of first use.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
20072
200641
2005275
2004440
2003370
2002179
200153

ZR engines and fuel

1.4 litre engines made up 55% of MG ZR MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.8 litre at 36%. Petrol accounts for 92% of licensed ZRs and diesel for 8.3%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 1,721 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.4 litre55.4%
  • 1.8 litre36.2%
  • 2.0 litre8.2%

Fuel type, licensed ZRs

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol1,22092%
Diesel1118%

Other MG models

The most-tested MG models in 2025, against the ZR's 65.6% MOT pass rate.

All 12 MG models

MG ZR FAQs

How many MG ZRs are there in the UK?

1,331 MG ZRs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 5,622 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the MG ZR 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 65.6% first-time pass rate for the MG ZR across 1,721 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

What should I check before buying a used MG ZR?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and body, chassis, structure. 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 ZR'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 ZR?

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.