MG 5 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MG 5 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MG 5 passed on its first attempt in 91.3%, and its overall record sits +10.9 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG 5 in the 2023–2025 data: 17,847 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). 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 5 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the MG 5, 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 5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded MG 5 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG 5, each with how many of the model's 17,847 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Rectified) — noted on about 344 MG 5 tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 283 MG 5 tests, 1.6% 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 245 MG 5 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 222 MG 5 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 193 MG 5 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 169 MG 5 tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MG 5 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MG 5 model year on record is 2020 (92.5% across 536 tests), and the weakest is 2022 (91.6%). The gap between them is 0.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for MG 5 Owners

These checks follow this MG 5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a MG 5.

• the lights — “headlamp not working on dipped beam”

  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 tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

• 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 5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: MG 5 MOT & Reliability