The picture
500 Lounge Mhev: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 3,813 MOT tests, the 500 Lounge Mhev returns 88.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a tyre with the cords showing. A defective wiper blade and wipers that don't clear the screen round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 15,911, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A tyre cords visible or damaged
146 occurrences · 3.8% of tests
- 02
Wiper blade defective
73 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 03
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
56 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
- 04
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
52 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
- 05
A tyre seriously damaged
21 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 06
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
18 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 07
A tyre seriously damaged
14 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 08
A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative
12 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
- 09
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
10 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
- 10
Tyre obviously under inflated
10 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures
£160–£280
If every one of this 500 Lounge Mhev's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a 500 Lounge Mhev?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a 500 Lounge Mhev and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.