The picture
Ix20: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 35,297 MOT tests, the Ix20 returns 77.1% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a worn steering ball joint. A weak handbrake and brake pads worn below 1.5 mm round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 49,396, 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 steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
1,661 occurrences · 4.7% of tests
- 02
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
1,225 occurrences · 3.5% of tests
- 03
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
1,014 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
- 04
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
951 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
- 05
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
795 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 06
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
792 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 07
Parking brake inoperative on one side
786 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 08
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
653 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 09
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
558 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 10
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
536 occurrences · 1.5% 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
£176–£470
If every one of this Ix20'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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Build your own retest budget.
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
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Ix20?
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 Ix20 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.