Hatchbacks with the lowest MOT failure rate
Ranked by the share of MOT tests each model fails in the DVSA analysis, lowest first — a pattern across a whole model, not a promise about the one in the advert.
The ranking
| # | Car | MOT failure rate | What usually fails | Est. premium at 17 | Insurance group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nissan Nissan Leaf 40kWh (2018–2022) | 10.2% | Tyres, Brakes, Visibility | £2,051–£4,259 | Group 21 |
| 2 | Toyota Corolla 1.8 Hybrid (2018–2022) | 10.9% | Tyres, Visibility, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £2,050–£4,731 | Group 15 |
| 3 | Honda Civic 1.0 VTEC Turbo S (10th gen, hatchback) (2018–2022) | 11.6% | Tyres, Brakes, Visibility | £1,888–£3,922 | Group 15 |
| 4 | Volkswagen Golf 1.0 TSI (2017–2019) | 12.0% | Tyres, Brakes, Suspension | £1,789–£4,128 | Group 10 |
| 5 | Hyundai Ioniq 1.6 GDi Hybrid (2016–2022) | 13.2% | Tyres, Brakes, Visibility | £1,763–£4,068 | Group 10 |
| 6 | Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI (150PS) SE (2013–2017) | 13.4% | Tyres, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £2,436–£5,058 | Group 25 |
| 7 | Ford Focus 1.0 EcoBoost (2018–2020) | 13.8% | Tyres, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £1,771–£4,086 | Group 10 |
| 8 | Vauxhall Astra 1.2 (2019–2021) | 14.1% | Tyres, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £1,898–£4,380 | Group 14 |
| 9 | Hyundai i30 S 1.0 T-GDi 120PS (Mk3/PD) (2017–2020) | 14.7% | Tyres, Brakes, Visibility | £1,677–£3,483 | Group 8 |
| 10 | Toyota Prius 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid Active (original 2016-launch derivative, CVT auto, 120bhp) (2015–2022) | 14.9% | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Tyres, Brakes | £2,578–£5,354 | Group 14 |
| 11 | Kia Ceed 1.0 T-GDi (Mk3/CD) (2018–2022) | 15.9% | Tyres, Visibility, Brakes | £1,705–£3,541 | Group 8 |
| 12 | SEAT Leon 1.0 TSI (2016–2020) | 16.2% | Tyres, Suspension, Brakes | £1,901–£4,388 | Group 13 |
| 13 | Ford Focus ST 2.0 EcoBoost 250PS (Mk3, ST-1) (2012–2017) | 17.1% | Tyres, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Brakes | £2,846–£6,569 | Group 33 |
| 14 | Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI Bluemotion Tech SE (Mk7, pre-facelift) (2013–2016) | 18.0% | Tyres, Suspension, Brakes | £1,879–£3,902 | Group 13 |
| 15 | Vauxhall Astra 1.0 Turbo (Mk7/K) (2017–2019) | 18.2% | Tyres, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £1,709–£3,944 | Group 10 |
| 16 | Audi A3 Sportback 1.6 TDI SE (3rd gen, 8V) (2013–2016) | 19.3% | Tyres, Suspension, Brakes | £2,033–£4,221 | Group 18 |
| 17 | SEAT Leon 1.2 TSI S 103bhp (Mk3, pre-facelift) (2013–2016) | 22.0% | Tyres, Suspension, Brakes | £1,781–£4,110 | Group 12 |
| 18 | BMW 116i SE (1 Series, F20, pre-facelift, N13 1.6 turbo) (2013–2014) | 25.8% | Tyres, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Brakes | £1,895–£3,935 | Group 17 |
| 19 | Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI (Mk6) (2009–2012) | 34.2% | Suspension, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £1,919–£4,428 | Group 17 |
| 20 | Toyota Auris 1.33 (E150) (2008–2012) | 34.8% | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Brakes, Suspension | £1,602–£3,698 | Group 10 |
| 21 | Audi A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI (123bhp, post-2008-facelift) SE (2008–2013) | 36.0% | Suspension, Brakes, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | £2,039–£4,706 | Group 19 |
| 22 | Ford Focus 1.6 Ti-VCT (Mk3, naturally aspirated) (2011–2012) | 38.1% | Suspension, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Tyres | £1,760–£4,061 | Group 14 |
| 23 | Renault Megane 1.2 TCe Expression+ (Mk3) (2014–2016) | 38.4% | Suspension, Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, Brakes | £1,880–£4,340 | Group 17 |
Figures checked July 2026
Heads-up: Market update (27 July 2026): two major insurer groups — including the cheapest black-box provider in most of our data — left the comparison panel we calibrate against, and cheapest quotes for young drivers rose roughly 50%. Our estimates now track this new, higher market. If those insurers return, real quotes could come in below the range shown — get a real quote before you budget.
How to read this
Ranked by the share of MOT tests each model fails in the DVSA analysis, lowest first — a pattern across a whole model, not a promise about the one in the advert.
All 23 qualifying cars in our set are listed below — nothing has been left out to make the ranking look tidier. The order is worked out at build time from our own dataset every time it is regenerated, so when the underlying figures move, this page moves with them. 28.2 percentage points separates the top of the table from the bottom.
What a failure rate is, and is not. It is the share of MOT tests that this model fails, across every test in the DVSA analysis — a pattern over thousands of cars, not a verdict on the one you are looking at. A well-kept example of a car near the bottom of this table will sail through; a neglected example of the car at the top will not. It is also not the same thing as reliability: an MOT tests roadworthiness on the day, so a car that fails often on tyres and brakes is telling you about wear items and previous owners, not about engines. We hold DVSA stats for 115 of the 164 cars we track, so cars without them are absent from this ranking rather than shown with a blank — and the ones that are here are ranked only against each other.
Estimates, not quotes. Insurance figures are our modelled expected annual premium for a new driver on a comprehensive black-box policy, and they are shown as a range because that is the honest way to present a model. The range is not the same width for every car: it widens where our own data is thinner, so a wider range means less certainty rather than a worse car. The ranking below is not ordered on it — it is a supporting figure here.
Every figure is anchored to London, because that is where our premium data is strongest, and London postcodes carry some of the highest premiums in the country. This page cannot know your postcode, so no row here gets our narrowest confidence band. Put your own postcode into the First-Car Finder and both the figure and the range get closer to you.
How we work these figures out
Insurance estimates are expected annual premiums for a new driver on a comprehensive, black-box policy in London, calibrated against published young-driver premium datasets; the low–high range reflects how much real quotes vary from person to person. Running costs assume 6,500 miles a year at £1.51/L petrol or £1.65/L diesel, DESNZ Jul 2026 (and 26.1p/kWh, Ofgem cap for the electric ones) plus the standard MOT fee, and exclude servicing. Insurance groups, typical prices and MOT failure rates are read straight off our dataset, which is regenerated from its cited sources rather than edited by hand — so this page has no figures of its own to go stale.
These are estimates based on public data, not quotes, and Vouched does not give insurance advice. Treat the ranking as a starting point for comparison shopping, not a number to hold a provider to. When you're ready, we introduce you to authorised providers for a real quote.
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