MG ZT, Buying guide, MOT record and UK numbers
1,537 MG ZTs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 65% of initial MOT tests, 7.3 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific ZT? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
MG ZT at the MOT
65% of 1,962 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the ZT 433rd of 575 models.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Where ZTs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on MG ZT tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.9%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4.7%) and rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (4.3%).
The MOT page lists every common ZT MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The ZT's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
-
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.25.1% of ZT 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.22% of ZT failure items
-
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.19.6% of ZT failure items
MG ZTs in the UK
1,537 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 87% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −87%from 11,753 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
- 3,00566% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed MG ZTs since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 11,753 |
| End of 2015 | 9,996 |
| End of 2016 | 8,288 |
| End of 2017 | 6,626 |
| End of 2018 | 5,317 |
| End of 2019 | 4,294 |
| End of 2020 | 3,606 |
| End of 2021 | 3,081 |
| End of 2022 | 2,565 |
| End of 2023 | 2,237 |
| End of 2024 | 1,805 |
| End of 2025 | 1,565 |
| End of June 2026 | 1,537 |
How old they are
Licensed MG ZTs by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 57 were first used before 2002.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 4 |
| 2020 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 | 2 |
| 2014 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | |
| 2011 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 18 | |
| 2006 | 73 | |
| 2005 | 317 | |
| 2004 | 550 | |
| 2003 | 360 | |
| 2002 | 164 |
ZT engines and fuel
2.5 litre engines made up 37% of MG ZT MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 36%. Petrol accounts for 63% of licensed ZTs and diesel for 36%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 1,962 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed ZTs
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 970 | 63% |
| Diesel | 560 | 36% |
| Battery electric | 1 | 0.1% |
| Gas | 6 | 0.4% |
MG ZT FAQs
How many MG ZTs are there in the UK?
1,537 MG ZTs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 3,005 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the MG ZT 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% first-time pass rate for the MG ZT across 1,962 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
What should I check before buying a used MG ZT?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, 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 ZT'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 ZT?
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.