Pass rate
73.5%
Below average — 0.2 pts ahead of the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 291 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £64–£184
2001 MG Zr MOT pass rate
- 2001
- typical 81,748 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
23.0% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2002 76.9% pass
- Avoid 2001 73.5% pass · this year
Across the 6 years on record, a spread of 3.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 69.3%
- Typical mileage
- 82k mi
The 2001 MG Zr MOT pass rate is 73.5% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 23.0% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.1× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 11.9% of everything recorded on the 2001 MG Zr, against 5.6% nationally — 6.3 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 23.0%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 21% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
- Based on a small sample. 291 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a MG Zr? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2001 MG Zr compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 0.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 69.3%. The median 2001 MG Zr in this dataset had covered 81,748 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 76.9% of the time, April–September 70.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements", noted on 6.87% of tests.
- 291 recorded tests behind this page.
- 73.5% overall pass rate, 69.3% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the MG Zr, the average is 75.6% — best year 2002 (76.9%), worst 2001 (73.5%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 291
- Typical mileage (median)
- 81,748 mi
- Make and model
- MG Zr
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Brake Discs and Pads Set
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Zr MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 52% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the MG Zr is most common
Across all Zr model years on record (2001–2006): 3,167 MG Zr cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 7,369 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 154 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 154 | 81.4% |
| 2 | Peterborough (PE) | 86 | 75.9% |
| 3 | Coventry (CV) | 75 | 80.9% |
| 4 | Derby (DE) | 71 | 75.9% |
| 5 | Stourbridge (DY) | 67 | 70.3% |
| 6 | Exeter (EX) | 61 | 72.8% |
| 7 | Plymouth (PL) | 58 | 67.4% |
| 8 | Oxford (OX) | 58 | 72.7% |
| 9 | Nottingham (NG) | 57 | 73.5% |
| 10 | Ashford (TN) | 56 | 78.4% |
| 11 | Sheffield (S) | 55 | 78.0% |
| 12 | Reading (RG) | 54 | 79.4% |
| 13 | Leicester (LE) | 54 | 73.0% |
| 14 | Guildford (GU) | 53 | 73.8% |
| 15 | Norwich (NR) | 53 | 74.4% |
| 16 | Ipswich (IP) | 51 | 79.7% |
| 17 | Maidstone (ME) | 50 | 87.6% |
| 18 | Newton Abbot (TQ) | 49 | 69.2% |
| 19 | Bristol (BS) | 49 | 74.5% |
| 20 | Preston (PR) | 48 | 76.1% |
The twenty areas with the most MG Zr 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 →
Regional pass rates for the Zr
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 59 | 76.3% |
| South East | 57 | 66.7% |
| West Midlands | 42 | 69.0% |
| East of England | 35 | 77.1% |
| Yorkshire | 31 | 67.7% |
| East Midlands | 20 | 75.0% |
| North West | 18 | 94.4% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2001 Zr
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2001 Zr
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check corrosion 4.5% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the wipers and washers 3.4% of tests
“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.
-
Check the lights 3.1% of tests
“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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2001 Zr through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £64–£184 — and 21% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £64–£184
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 21%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 291 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Zr, side by side
6 model years on record, from 2001 to 2006. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.5% to 76.9% — a spread of 3.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2001 73.5%rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2002 76.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2003 75.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2004 75.1% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2005 76.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2006 75.4% battery(ies) insecure but not…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2001 MG Zr with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2001 cars with a similar record
- Vauxhall Agila 73.4%
- Audi A3 73.9%
- Toyota YARIS 72.9%
- Volkswagen Lupo 72.9%
- Peugeot 306 72.9%
- Volkswagen Passat 72.8%
Closest pass rates among 2001 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2001 MG Zr 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 656 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 155 | 23.00% | 20.89% | +2.11 |
| Suspension | 92 | 13.60% | 20.98% | −7.38 |
| Tyres | 88 | 13.00% | 19.76% | −6.76 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 81 | 12.00% | 12.21% | −0.21 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 80 | 11.90% | 5.57% | +6.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 73 | 10.80% | 5.52% | +5.28 |
| Visibility | 33 | 4.90% | 4.97% | −0.07 |
| Steering | 25 | 3.70% | 2.57% | +1.13 |
| Non-component advisories | 17 | 2.50% | 4.18% | −1.68 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 12 | 1.80% | 1.76% | +0.04 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 6.9% | £45–110 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 4.5% | £180–450 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 3.4% | £8–22 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.1% | £5–20 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.8% | £60–140 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds default limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.4% | £60–250 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.4% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.1% | £60–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.1% | £80–250 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.1% | £60–150 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 13.8% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 11.0% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 10.3% | £80–180 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.3% | £200–700 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.9% | £45–110 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 8.3% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 20 | 60.0% | 19,571 mi |
| 30-60k | 52 | 73.1% | 49,832 mi |
| 60-90k | 92 | 75.0% | 73,524 mi |
| 90-120k | 87 | 73.6% | 105,559 mi |
| 120k+ | 38 | 76.3% | 145,553 mi |
Source: 291 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2001 Zr MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 MG Zr?
73.5% of the 291 2001 MG Zr tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 69.3%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 MG Zr?
The three most recorded items are rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (6.87%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4.47%), wipers blade defective (3.44%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2001 MG Zr MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 60.0% of the time, falling to 76.3% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 MG Zr in this dataset had covered 81,748 mi.
Does the season affect the 2001 MG Zr MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 76.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.