Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 6,668 tests

Pass rate climbs 18.8 points across the cohorts — newer Rexton examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 4,804

Pass

70.1%

Fail

25.6%

PRS

3.5%

Avg mileage at test

77,859 mi

2018–2020 cohort 1,296

Pass

85.6%

Fail

12.3%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

42,364 mi

2021+ cohort 568

Pass

88.9%

Fail

7.4%

PRS

3.7%

Avg mileage at test

26,148 mi

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

The picture

Rexton: a below-average pass rate worth digging into

Across 4,243 MOT tests, the Rexton returns 69.4% first-time pass — well below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A worn steering ball joint and a broken or weak spring round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 68,155, 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.

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

309 occurrences · 4.6% of tests
02

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

264 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
03

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play

228 occurrences · 3.4% of tests
04

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

216 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
05

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

209 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
06

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

181 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
07

An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

164 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

145 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
09

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

131 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
10

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

124 occurrences · 1.9% 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

£328–£915

If every one of this Rexton'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 18.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Ssangyong Rexton has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

88.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 88.9% — a 18.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 26,148 miles — roughly 52K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.5 mm thick, does not clear the windscreen effectively — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

70.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 70.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, and ball joint has excessive play. Average mileage on test for this band is 77,859 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (88.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (70.1% pass). That's a 18.8-point spread across 4,804 older tests and 568 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

Item 02 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

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

2 UK recalls on record.

The Rexton has 2 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Rexton?

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 Rexton 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.