Know Your MOT
25.8%fail rate

Hyundai Santa common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Hyundai Santa fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 816,583 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 25.8% of MOT tests recorded on the Hyundai Santa in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is suspension, which makes up 31.0% of the Hyundai Santa's failures, followed by suspension, lamps & electrical, brakes, other. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Suspension31.0% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Lamps & electrical29.4% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Brakes23.5% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Other16.6% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Tyres16.0% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Visibility/wipers11.0% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

200928.3% fail · 19,313 tests
201028.0% fail · 67,206 tests
201128.4% fail · 64,040 tests
201227.7% fail · 52,518 tests
201323.4% fail · 20,096 tests
201420.0% fail · 30,731 tests
201516.1% fail · 31,015 tests
201615.2% fail · 38,934 tests
201714.1% fail · 22,161 tests
201813.5% fail · 12,966 tests
201913.0% fail · 6,132 tests
202012.1% fail · 2,215 tests
20219.9% fail · 2,828 tests
20229.4% fail · 3,493 tests
20237.1% fail · 1,819 tests
202410.1% fail · 188 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the suspension failure: Hyundai Santa suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Hyundai Santa suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Hyundai Santa suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the lamps & electrical failure: Hyundai Santa headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Hyundai Santa headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Hyundai Santa headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Hyundai Santa brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Hyundai Santa brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Hyundai Santa brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Hyundai Santa tyresSearch Amazon for Hyundai Santa tyresaffiliate searchFind Hyundai Santa tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Hyundai Santa wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Hyundai Santa wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Hyundai Santa wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Hyundai I10 MOT failures19.5% failure rateHyundai I20 MOT failures19.6% failure rateHyundai I30 MOT failures23.4% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain