MG Zs MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MG Zs MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MG Zs passed on its first attempt in 85.9%, and its overall record sits +6.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG Zs in the 2023–2025 data: 122,761 tests across 14 model years (2001–2024). 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 Zs MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded MG Zs DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG Zs, each with how many of the model's 122,761 tests it was noted on.

• "Headlamp not working on dipped beam" (Major) — noted on about 1,641 MG Zs tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick" (Major) — noted on about 1,430 MG Zs tests, 1.2% 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 1,389 MG Zs tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,336 MG Zs tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 1,317 MG Zs tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 1,112 MG Zs tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MG Zs Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MG Zs model year on record is 2024 (96.9% across 98 tests), and the weakest is 2003 (70.4%). The gap between them is 26.5 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

MG Zs reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.8 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 Zs Owners

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

• 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 brakes — “brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick”

  Look through the spokes of each wheel at the pad — less than 3mm of friction material, or a lip on the disc edge, is the usual failure. Check the handbrake holds on a slope with a few clicks, not at the top of its travel.

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

Where the MG Zs is most common

Across every Zs model year on record (2001–2024): 65,937 MG Zs cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 122,759 tests. Cardiff (CF) has the most, with 2,874 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 Zs 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 Zs MOT & Reliability