Infiniti
4,770 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Q50s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 5.5 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
83.0%
Pass-after-fix
1.8%
Fail
14.7%
Avg miles
76,866
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Some examples of this model are borderline — a small number of diesels were certified Euro 6 before September 2015. Check your registration on the government's ULEZ checker to be certain. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 4,770 tests
Pass rate climbs 9.9 points across the cohorts — newer Q50 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
82.4%
Fail
15.2%
PRS
1.9%
Avg mileage at test
78,397 mi
Pass
92.3%
Fail
6.5%
PRS
0.8%
Avg mileage at test
50,321 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 2,992 MOT tests, the Q50 returns 81.4% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brake pads worn below 1.5 mm. Tyre tread under the limit and windscreen damage round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 68,688, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
ABI Insurance Group
Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →
30–40
out of 50
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a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
149 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
111 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
96 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
96 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
76 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
62 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
62 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
40 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
34 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud
31 occurrences · 0.6% 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 5 failures
£288–£625
If every one of this Q50'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 9.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Infiniti Q50 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
92.3%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 92.3% — a 9.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 50,321 miles — roughly 28K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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
82.4%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 82.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: less than 1.5 mm thick, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and ball joint excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 78,397 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (92.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (82.4% pass). That's a 9.9-point spread across 4,510 older tests and 260 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 03 · 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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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.
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 a Q50 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.
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