Hyundai Matrix MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Hyundai Matrix MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Hyundai Matrix passed on its first attempt in 60.3%, and its overall record sits −11.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Hyundai Matrix in the 2023–2025 data: 13,593 tests across 9 model years (2002–2010). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Hyundai Matrix MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Hyundai Matrix, the Body, chassis, structure section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Hyundai Matrix's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Hyundai Matrix DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Hyundai Matrix, each with how many of the model's 13,593 tests it was noted on.

• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 1,675 Hyundai Matrix tests, 12.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 1,048 Hyundai Matrix tests, 7.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 905 Hyundai Matrix tests, 6.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 798 Hyundai Matrix tests, 5.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 555 Hyundai Matrix tests, 4.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded" (Major) — noted on about 402 Hyundai Matrix tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Hyundai Matrix Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Hyundai Matrix model year on record is 2009 (73.6% across 1,138 tests), and the weakest is 2002 (68.1%). The gap between them is 5.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Hyundai Matrix reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Hyundai Matrix Owners

These checks follow this Hyundai Matrix's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Hyundai Matrix.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

• the brake pipes — “rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”

  Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Hyundai Matrix. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Hyundai Matrix is most common

Across every Matrix model year on record (2002–2010): 5,042 Hyundai Matrix cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 13,593 tests. Portsmouth (PO) has the most, with 203 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Hyundai Matrix cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Hyundai Matrix MOT & Reliability