MG MG3 MOT pass rates & common failures

Every completed first-attempt MOT on an MG MG3 in Great Britain in 2025 — 24,993 tests. Figures cover every MG3 first-tested in 2025, all trims grouped. How the MG3 ages, what it fails on, and what mileage is normal, computed directly from the official DVSA record of every test.

Pass rate 2025
75.1%
2.8 points above the class-4 average (72.3%); unadjusted for age — the age-matched comparison is below
Tests analysed
24,993
first tests, 2025
Arrived with a dangerous fault
6.5%
of MG3 first tests; national 7.3%
Typical mileage at 10 years
53,750
middle half: 38,750–71,250 miles (2,500-mile-band midpoints)

How many MG MG3 cars are still on the road?

At the end of 2025, DVLA's register held 50,337 MG MG3 cars that were taxed or on SORN: 49,655 taxed and 682 on SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification — kept, but declared off the road by the keeper). The MOT figures above count tests; these count cars, across the whole United Kingdom, cars only. MG MG3 vans, where they exist, are counted by DVLA as goods vehicles and are not in these figures.

Still taxed, end of 2025
49,655
98.6% of the 50,337 MG3 cars taxed or on SORN; 16 model variants grouped
On SORN, end of 2025
682
declared off the road by their keepers — 1.4% of that total

How the numbers are moving

The number of taxed MG3 cars is still rising: 49,655 at the end of 2025, up 11,379 (29.7%) on the end of 2024, and the highest in the years shown. Cars on SORN went from 2 at the end of 2014 to 682 at the end of 2025, up 34000.0%. A car leaves the taxed count when it is scrapped, exported or declared off the road; the year-end counts do not say which.

Taxed MG3 cars, year by year

Cars of this model taxed and on the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025.

010k20k30k40k50k2014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)Taxed MG3 cars, year 2014: 2kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2015: 4kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2016: 7kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2017: 10kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2018: 13kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2019: 16kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2020: 18kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2021: 21kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2022: 25kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2023: 29kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2024: 38kTaxed MG3 cars, year 2025: 50k50k
View this chart as a table
YearTaxed MG3 cars
20141,904
20154,306
20167,269
201710,300
201812,612
201916,076
202018,194
202120,628
202224,713
202328,784
202438,276
202549,655

MG3 cars on SORN, year by year

Cars of this model declared off the road at the end of each year, 2014–2025. Its own scale — SORN counts are a fraction of the taxed count.

02004006008002014201620182020202220242025Year (count at the end of the year)MG3 cars on SORN, year 2014: 2MG3 cars on SORN, year 2015: 21MG3 cars on SORN, year 2016: 80MG3 cars on SORN, year 2017: 167MG3 cars on SORN, year 2018: 98MG3 cars on SORN, year 2019: 177MG3 cars on SORN, year 2020: 267MG3 cars on SORN, year 2021: 163MG3 cars on SORN, year 2022: 223MG3 cars on SORN, year 2023: 345MG3 cars on SORN, year 2024: 444MG3 cars on SORN, year 2025: 682682
View this chart as a table
YearMG3 cars on SORN
20142
201521
201680
2017167
201898
2019177
2020267
2021163
2022223
2023345
2024444
2025682

Which model years survive

Taxed MG3 cars at the end of 2025 by year of manufacture, and each year's share of the 49,655 taxed in all. Every build year holding at least 1% has its own row; the rest share one. A build year's count depends on how many were sold that year as well as how many have lasted.

Year of manufacture Taxed, end of 2025Share of taxed MG3 cars
202512,40225.0%
20249,23118.6%
20234,4469.0%
20224,1048.3%
20211,8883.8%
20202,3674.8%
20193,5457.1%
20182,4765.0%
20172,7705.6%
20162,8365.7%
20152,0804.2%
20141,3622.7%
All other build years (one year, each under 1%)1480.3%

Population source: Department for Transport / DVLA vehicle licensing statistics, table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026; counts of the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, United Kingdom, cars only, excluding cars recorded with no model name. SortedCars groups DVLA's model name 3 under this model. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DVLA or the Department for Transport.

How the MG3 ages

First-time pass rate by vehicle age, MG3 vs all cars, 2025.

MG MG3All cars
50%60%70%80%90%100%3579111315171920Vehicle age (years)MG MG3, vehicle age 3: 85.1%MG MG3, vehicle age 4: 81.9%MG MG3, vehicle age 5: 79.3%MG MG3, vehicle age 6: 75.2%MG MG3, vehicle age 7: 72.1%MG MG3, vehicle age 8: 69.6%MG MG3, vehicle age 9: 71.2%MG MG3, vehicle age 10: 65.7%MG MG3, vehicle age 11: 67.3%All cars, vehicle age 3: 88.5%All cars, vehicle age 4: 87.2%All cars, vehicle age 5: 86%All cars, vehicle age 6: 83.5%All cars, vehicle age 7: 80.9%All cars, vehicle age 8: 78.2%All cars, vehicle age 9: 74.9%All cars, vehicle age 10: 71.9%All cars, vehicle age 11: 68.6%All cars, vehicle age 12: 65.8%All cars, vehicle age 13: 63.5%All cars, vehicle age 14: 61.2%All cars, vehicle age 15: 59.3%All cars, vehicle age 16: 58.3%All cars, vehicle age 17: 57.2%All cars, vehicle age 18: 57.4%All cars, vehicle age 19: 57%All cars, vehicle age 20: 57.6%MG MG3 67.3%All cars 57.6%
View this chart as a table
Age (years)MG3 testsMG3 pass rateAll cars
34,26885.1%88.5%
41,93281.9%87.2%
52,46979.3%86.0%
63,63075.2%83.5%
72,54672.1%80.9%
82,83869.6%78.2%
93,04271.2%74.9%
102,25665.7%71.9%
111,52867.3%68.6%

Better or worse than the average car?

The MG3's pass rate minus the all-cars pass rate at each age, in percentage points. Bars above zero: the MG3 beats the average car of that age. Below zero: it trails.

MG3 behind
-10-5+0+5+10Age 3: -3.4 points vs the average car3Age 4: -5.3 points vs the average carAge 5: -6.7 points vs the average car5Age 6: -8.3 points vs the average carAge 7: -8.8 points vs the average car7Age 8: -8.6 points vs the average carAge 9: -3.7 points vs the average car9Age 10: -6.2 points vs the average carAge 11: -1.3 points vs the average car11Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)Gap (points)
3-3.4
4-5.3
5-6.7
6-8.3
7-8.8
8-8.6
9-3.7
10-6.2
11-1.3

The MG3 fleet on the road, by age

How many took a first MOT in 2025 at each age — the shape of the MG3 fleet still in use.

01k2k3k5kAge 3: 4k3Age 4: 1kAge 5: 2k5Age 6: 3kAge 7: 2k7Age 8: 2kAge 9: 3k9Age 10: 2kAge 11: 1k11Vehicle age (years)
View this chart as a table
Age (years)First tests
34,268
41,932
52,469
63,630
72,546
82,838
93,042
102,256
111,528

What an MG3 fails on

Where the failure items land when an MG3 fails or needs a fix at test, 2025. Use it as a pre-purchase checklist: these are the areas to look at first.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment24.9%
Tyres19.1%
Brakes19.1%
Suspension13.0%
Visibility12.6%
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems3.9%
Steering2.5%
Noise, emissions and leaks2.5%

Share of all failure items, 2025 — the 8 biggest categories shown (97.5% of the items); smaller categories are not listed.

The advisories to watch

Where testers most often write "keep an eye on this" for a MG3, 2025 — the faults in the post.

Tyres: 39.0% of advisories39.0%Brakes: 26.2% of advisories26.2%Suspension: 22.6% of advisories22.6%Non-component advisories: 6.2% of advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaks: 1.9% of advisoriesSteering: 1.3% of advisories
TyresBrakesSuspensionNon-component advisoriesNoise, emissions and leaksSteering
View this chart as a table
CategoryShare of advisories
Tyres39.0%
Brakes26.2%
Suspension22.6%
Non-component advisories6.2%
Noise, emissions and leaks1.9%
Steering1.3%

What mileage is normal for an MG3?

Mileage recorded at test by vehicle age, 2025. The line is the typical (median) MG3; the shaded band holds the middle half. A car far outside the band, in either direction, is worth questions the recorded history can answer.

Typical MG3 (median)
0k25k50k75k100k357911Vehicle age (years)Age 3: typical 21,250 miles (middle half 13,750–28,750)Age 4: typical 23,750 miles (middle half 16,250–31,250)Age 5: typical 26,250 miles (middle half 18,750–36,250)Age 6: typical 33,750 miles (middle half 23,750–43,750)Age 7: typical 38,750 miles (middle half 28,750–53,750)Age 8: typical 46,250 miles (middle half 31,250–58,750)Age 9: typical 51,250 miles (middle half 36,250–66,250)Age 10: typical 53,750 miles (middle half 38,750–71,250)Age 11: typical 58,750 miles (middle half 41,250–76,250)58k mi

Mileage values are midpoints of 2,500-mile bands.

View this chart as a table
Age (years)Lower quarterTypical (median)Upper quarter
313,75021,25028,750
416,25023,75031,250
518,75026,25036,250
623,75033,75043,750
728,75038,75053,750
831,25046,25058,750
936,25051,25066,250
1038,75053,75071,250
1141,25058,75076,250

What fails at each age

The MG3's failure mix by age band, 2025 — each band's top categories at their true share of that band's failure items; the pale remainder is everything else. How the mix shifts with age is the point of the chart.

TyresLamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentBrakesVisibilitySuspensionSeat belts and supplementary restraint systemsEverything else
View this chart as a table
Age bandCategoryShare of the band's failure items
3-5 yrsTyres33.6%
3-5 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27.3%
3-5 yrsBrakes17.0%
3-5 yrsVisibility10.7%
3-5 yrsSuspension5.5%
3-5 yrsEverything else5.9%
6-9 yrsBrakes27.7%
6-9 yrsTyres21.4%
6-9 yrsSuspension15.5%
6-9 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14.1%
6-9 yrsVisibility10.0%
6-9 yrsEverything else11.3%
10-13 yrsSuspension23.8%
10-13 yrsBrakes17.2%
10-13 yrsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment15.1%
10-13 yrsTyres13.6%
10-13 yrsSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems10.1%
10-13 yrsEverything else20.2%

More vehicles we've checked

How these figures are computed. Every number on this page is calculated by SortedCars from the DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain — 2025 for single-year figures; trend figures state their span, currently 2023–2025). Where a figure comes from a sample or uses banded values (mileage is banded to 2,500 miles), the page says so beside the figure. Test class 4 only, first tests only — retests are excluded. Class 4 is the car MOT class and also covers car-derived vans, pickups and motorhomes tested to the same standard; where this page says "cars" it means class 4. Pass rate = passes ÷ (passes + failures + pass-after-rectification): a vehicle that failed and was fixed during the visit counts as a fail. Pass rates describe fleets, not individual machines: they reflect how cars were driven, maintained and used as well as how they were built, and beyond recorded mileage none of that is in the data. A well-kept example of a model with a weak average can still pass; a neglected example of a strong one can still fail. No figure is shown for any group with fewer than 500 tests. Alias spellings of a make in the DVSA file are counted under one make name, and all trims and variants of a model are grouped under one model name, using SortedCars' grouping tables. The taxed and SORN counts on this page are the one exception: they are not computed from MOT records but taken from the Department for Transport's vehicle licensing statistics (DfT/DVLA table VEH0124, updated 15 July 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0), which count the cars on DVLA's register that were taxed or on SORN at the end of each year shown, UK-wide, cars only. They describe a model as a whole, grouped under SortedCars' model names, and say nothing about any one car. “Dangerous” is DVSA's statutory defect category (in force since May 2018): a defect posing an immediate risk to road safety — driving the vehicle before repair is an offence. What these figures are for. These statistics are general information about groups of vehicles. They are not advice, a valuation or a recommendation to buy, avoid or price any particular vehicle, and no decision about one car should rest on them alone — check the car itself and its own records. We take care over the calculations, but we cannot guarantee they are complete, current or free of error, and we accept no liability for loss arising from reliance on them. This does not limit any liability that cannot lawfully be limited — see our Terms & Conditions. If you believe any figure on this page is inaccurate, contact us. SortedCars is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the DVSA or DVLA. DVSA publishes the raw test records; the statistics on this page are SortedCars' own calculations from them. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.