MG 3 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MG 3 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MG 3 passed on its first attempt in 90.4%, and its overall record sits +10.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG 3 in the 2023–2025 data: 8,542 tests across 5 model years (2013–2023). 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 MG 3 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the MG 3, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 MG 3's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded MG 3 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG 3, each with how many of the model's 8,542 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 225 MG 3 tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 118 MG 3 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 117 MG 3 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 90 MG 3 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Rectified) — noted on about 83 MG 3 tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 78 MG 3 tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MG 3 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MG 3 model year on record is 2023 (92.9% across 212 tests), and the weakest is 2013 (84.3%). The gap between them is 8.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

MG 3 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.9 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 MG 3 Owners

These checks follow this MG 3's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a MG 3.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

  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 wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the MG 3. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: MG 3 MOT & Reliability