MG Zt MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

MG Zt MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The MG Zt passed on its first attempt in 69.4%, and its overall record sits −6.0 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the MG Zt in the 2023–2025 data: 5,250 tests across 7 model years (2001–2007). 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 Zt MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded MG Zt DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the MG Zt, each with how many of the model's 5,250 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 385 MG Zt tests, 7.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 199 MG Zt tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Srs malfunction indicator lamp warning lamp indicates a fault" (Major) — noted on about 184 MG Zt tests, 3.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (Major) — noted on about 158 MG Zt tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 156 MG Zt tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 114 MG Zt tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst MG Zt Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest MG Zt model year on record is 2007 (76.8% across 69 tests), and the weakest is 2001 (71.5%). The gap between them is 5.3 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 Zt Owners

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

• 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.

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

Where the MG Zt is most common

Across every Zt model year on record (2001–2007): 2,172 MG Zt cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 5,250 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 99 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 Zt 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 Zt MOT & Reliability