2025 MOT results
MG 3 common problems
The most common reason a MG 3 fails its MOT is wiper blades that do not clear the screen, on 11.2% of its 6,220 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: the airbag light on at 6.4% of failures against 1.0% expected; a weak handbrake at 6.5% of failures against 1.7% expected; a headlamp out at 7.9% of failures against 3.6% expected.
- Tests in 2025 24,879 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 25.0% 6,220 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 49.2% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a MG 3 MOT
Each bar is the share of failed MG 3 tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 11.2% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.9% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.9% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 7.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.2% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.6% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.5% |
| SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 6.4% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 6.4% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 5.6% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
11.2% of failures 8.9% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Headlamp aim set too low
8.9% of failures 4.1% expected 2.2 times as often
The dipped beam points lower than it should, so it lights too little of the road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Headlamp out
7.9% of failures 3.6% expected 2.2 times as often
A headlamp out on dipped beam, which is the beam the test checks.
Both bulbs age at the same rate, so a pair usually goes within months of each other.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
7.4% of failures 6.1% expected somewhat more often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.2% of failures 10.0% expected somewhat less often
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Broken coil spring
6.6% of failures 6.5% expected about as expected
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a MG 3, on 32.7% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 25.0%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32.7% |
| Tyres | 28.4% |
| Brakes | 22.7% |
| Visibility | 20.0% |
| Suspension | 19.3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 7.7% |
| Steering | 4.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
49.2% of MG 3 tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On MG 3s, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 18.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.5% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 4.5% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 4.5% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.6% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.8% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.2% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a MG 3 gets older
A 2022 MG 3 failed 15.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2015 one failed 34.3%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 MG 3 15.0% failed, from 4,237 tests
- Headlamp aim set too low 17.7%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 14.8%
- Cut tyre 10.7%
- Sidelight out 8.7%
- Lighting fault 8.4%
- Washers that do not work 7.7%
2015 MG 3 34.3% failed, from 2,256 tests
- Airbag light on 19.5%
- Worn suspension bushes 12.5%
- Headlamp out 10.3%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 9.2%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 7.0%
- Corroded brake pipes 6.6%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
MG 3 problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a MG 3?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively” is the most common: it appears on 11.2% of failed MG 3 tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 32.7% of failed tests.
How often does a MG 3 fail its MOT?
25.0% of MG 3 tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 24,879 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 30 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a MG 3 than on other cars?
Yes. “SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault” appears on 6.4% of its failures against 1.0% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 6.5% of its failures against 1.7% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a MG 3 aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 24,879 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.