Hyundai I40
From 30,096 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer I40s fare better: 2019 models pass at 84.7% vs 70.1% for 2011.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, a suspension pin and bush or joint excessively worn. The top issue, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, caused 913 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 913 |
| a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 816 |
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 696 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 675 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 485 |
| a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 406 |
| significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 381 |
| a headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led | 377 |
| brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 370 |
| a tyre cords visible or damaged | 357 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 73.4% of I40 failures are safety items (worn brakes, tyre damage, steering play). The car still drives, but you shouldn't. Only 0% are the kind that would actually strand you. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £119.
Fuel type matters
Diesel versions pass at 78% while Petrol versions pass at 71.6%, a 6 percentage point gap.
Hyundai I40 on UK roads
The fleet is shrinking: 1,001 scrapped or exported in the past year, a net loss of 1,001. At this rate, roughly 19.8 years until none remain. Now at 78.1% of its peak (25,326 in 2018 Q2).
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 18,517 | 1,257 | +0 | -303 | -303 |
| 2025 Q2 | 18,886 | 1,191 | +0 | -342 | -342 |
| 2025 Q1 | 19,269 | 1,150 | +0 | -219 | -219 |
| 2024 Q4 | 19,564 | 1,074 | +0 | -137 | -137 |
| 2024 Q3 | 19,789 | 986 | +0 | -278 | -278 |
| 2024 Q2 | 20,140 | 913 | +0 | -217 | -217 |
| 2024 Q1 | 20,388 | 882 | +0 | -240 | -240 |
| 2023 Q4 | 20,685 | 825 | +0 | -157 | -157 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| I40 Style Blue Drive Crdi | Diesel | 3,552 | 19% |
| I40 Se Nav Crdi Blue Drive | Diesel | 3,268 | 18% |
| I40 Active Blue Drive Crdi | Diesel | 1,659 | 9% |
| I40 S Crdi Blue Drive | Diesel | 1,538 | 8% |
| I40 Se Nav Crdi Blue Drive S-A | Diesel | 1,327 | 7% |
| I40 Style Crdi Auto | Diesel | 1,310 | 7% |
| I40 Premium Blue Drive Crdi | Diesel | 906 | 5% |
| I40 Bness Se Nav Crdi B-Drive | Diesel | 771 | 4% |
| I40 Active Blue Drive Crdi 136 | Diesel | 579 | 3% |
| I40 Bnes Se Nav Crdi Bdrive Sa | Diesel | 572 | 3% |
| I40 Premium Crdi Auto | Diesel | 560 | 3% |
| I40 Premium Crdi Blue Drive | Diesel | 545 | 3% |
| I40 Premium Crdi | Diesel | 464 | 3% |
| I40 Premium Crdi Blue Drive Sa | Diesel | 396 | 2% |
| I40 Se Nav Crdi | Diesel | 271 | 1% |
| I40 Style Crdi | Diesel | 242 | 1% |
| I40 Style Gdi | Petrol | 155 | <1% |
| I40 Se Nav Crdi S-A | Diesel | 119 | <1% |
| I40 Premium Se Crdi Blue Drive | Diesel | 67 | <1% |
| I40 Se Nav Gdi | Petrol | 50 | <1% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 84.7% | a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
| 2018 | 85.9% | a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2017 | 83.2% | a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2016 | 81.6% | a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
5 earlier years
| 2015 | 79.2% | a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2014 | 75.6% | a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
| 2013 | 73.6% | a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm |
| 2012 | 72.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play |
| 2011 | 70.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play |
Typical mileage
Half of all I40s tested had between 68,292 and 119,904 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 97,386 median miles, the I40 has 0.023 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Hyundai models
| Hyundai I10 | 77.5% |
| Hyundai I20 | 76.7% |
| Hyundai I30 | 72.6% |
| Hyundai Tucson | 84.5% |
| Hyundai Ix35 | 73.4% |
Common questions
What is the Hyundai I40 MOT pass rate?
The Hyundai I40 has a 77.9% MOT pass rate based on 30,096 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Hyundai I40?
The most common MOT failure on the Hyundai I40 is a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, which caused 913 failures. Other common issues include a steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play.
How many Hyundai I40s are on UK roads?
There are 18,517 Hyundai I40s currently licensed on UK roads, with 1,257 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Hyundai I40 at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Hyundai I40 is 97,386 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 68,292 and 119,904 miles.
Buying a used I40?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 77.9% pass rate and an average repair bill of £119 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.