MG Zr MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MG Zr MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MG Zr passed on its first attempt in 70.3%, and its overall record sits −5.4 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG Zr in the 2023–2025 data: 7,369 tests across 6 model years (2001–2006). 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 Zr MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded MG Zr DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG Zr, each with how many of the model's 7,369 tests it was noted on.

• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 520 MG Zr tests, 7.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier" (Minor) — noted on about 361 MG Zr tests, 4.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 332 MG Zr tests, 4.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 313 MG Zr tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 313 MG Zr tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 256 MG Zr tests, 3.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MG Zr Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MG Zr model year on record is 2002 (76.9% across 949 tests), and the weakest is 2001 (73.5%). The gap between them is 3.4 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 Zr Owners

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

• the battery — “battery(ies) insecure”

  Check the battery is secure and its terminals are clean and tight — a loose battery is a fail on its own, and a weak one shows up as slow cranking on a cold morning.

• corrosion — “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.

• 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.

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

Where the MG Zr is most common

Across every Zr model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: MG Zr MOT & Reliability