Pass rate, every year
2,208 tests across 3 model years, 2020–2022.
+10.5 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
2,208 tests across 3 model years, 2020–2022.
+10.5 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2020 92.2%
The strongest of the 3 years on record. See the 2020 page →
Worst year to buy
2022 84.8%
7.4 points below the 2020 peak. See the 2022 page →
The MG Mg MOT pass rate is 91.5%, +10.5 percentage points above the UK average. That is 2,208 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2020 and 2022. This page lists the most common MG Mg MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how MG Mg MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The MG Mg passed on its first attempt in 90.9%, and its overall record sits +10.5 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG Mg in the 2023–2025 data: 2,208 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 2,208 |
| Overall pass rate | 91.5% |
| Passed on first attempt | 90.9% |
| Average mileage at test | 73,935 mi |
| Model years covered | 2020–2022 (3 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +10.5 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the MG Mg, 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.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 81% |
| Tyres | 8% |
| Visibility | 8% |
| Suspension | 3% |
Shares are over the MG Mg's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 81% of the recorded MG Mg failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (4.4%), "Stop lamp not working" (3.8%), "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (3.5%) among the MG Mg's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 8% of the recorded MG Mg failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (1.3%), "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (0.1%), "Tread depth tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm" (0.1%) among the MG Mg's tyres faults.
Around 8% of the recorded MG Mg failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (1.5%) among the MG Mg's visibility faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG Mg, each with how many of the model's 2,208 tests it was noted on.
The strongest MG Mg model year on record is 2020 (92.2% across 179 tests), and the weakest is 2022 (84.8%). The gap between them is 7.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
MG Mg reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 3.7 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.
These checks follow this MG Mg's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a MG Mg.
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 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.
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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the MG Mg. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
91.5% of the 2,208 recorded MG Mg MOT tests ended in a pass, +10.5 percentage points above the national average. 90.9% of those passed on the first attempt.
2021 is the strongest MG Mg year on record at 92.2%, while 2022 is the weakest at 84.8%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded MG Mg failures are "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" and "Stop lamp not working" — together around 8% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.