Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 199,248 tests

Pass rate climbs 14.0 points across the cohorts — newer I20 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 174,409

Pass

74.6%

Fail

18.8%

PRS

6.0%

Avg mileage at test

66,307 mi

2018–2020 cohort 24,594

Pass

88.8%

Fail

7.7%

PRS

3.2%

Avg mileage at test

32,691 mi

2021+ cohort 245

Pass

88.6%

Fail

7.3%

PRS

4.1%

Avg mileage at test

23,510 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Hyundai I20 · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Hyundai I20: mixed MOT record across 148,123 tests

The Hyundai i20 is a supermini hatchback produced by Hyundai since 2008. The i20 made its debut at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008, and sits between the i10 and i30.

MOT data from 148,123 tests puts this car on a 77.3% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 57,135 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated.

Buyers weighing up a used I20 should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 6–16

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

6–16

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

5,831 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
02

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

5,815 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
03

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

4,128 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
04

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

3,781 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
05

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

3,474 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
06

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

3,130 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
07

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

3,030 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

3,010 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

2,764 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
10

Wiper blade defective

2,591 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures

£208–£605

If every one of this I20's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 14.2-point gap between bands means the year you buy Hyundai I20 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

88.8%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 88.8% — a 14.2-point improvement. Tests in this band average 32,691 miles — roughly 34K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

74.6%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 74.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 66,307 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (88.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (74.6% pass). That's a 14.2-point spread across 174,409 older tests and 24,594 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Hyundai Sleek Silver Metallic 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Hyundai Polar White 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Hyundai Electric Red 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Hyundai Creamy White 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Recall history

3 UK recalls on record.

The I20 has 3 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping an I20?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own an I20 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.