Is the Hyundai I40 reliable?

On MOT evidence the Hyundai I40 is above average. It passes 75.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 60% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Hyundai I40?

The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 17.2% of failed Hyundai I40 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Hyundai I40?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 30.3% of all Hyundai I40 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Hyundai I40 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 102,905 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Hyundai I40 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Hyundai I40 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 80.4%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 61.9%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Hyundai I40 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 80.4% of Hyundai I40 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 61.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Hyundai I40 models petrol or diesel?

Of the Hyundai I40 cars tested, 99% are diesel, 1% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Hyundai I40 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 19,839 recorded MOT tests of the Hyundai I40, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Hyundai I40 passes 75.6% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average. Based on 19,839 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, which appears in 17.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 102,905 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

75.6%national average72.3%unadjusted71.1%range covered60%

The I40 is 3.3 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 71.1%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Hyundai I40 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm17.2%
822 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
2.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play15.9%
761 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.2%
582 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED9.0%
432 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded8.4%
401 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.2%
390 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.3%
350 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A tyre cords visible or damaged6.2%
297 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
9.A tyre seriously damaged6.2%
296 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
10.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen5.3%
255 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Hyundai I40 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements30.3%
6,019 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.6%
2,691 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured12.9%
2,560 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded9.4%
1,859 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged9.3%
1,842 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users6.7%
1,335 tests
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.5%
1,288 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.Number plate inscription missing or illegible4.2%
842 testsRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Hyundai I40

The 18 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Hyundai I40 common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a I40, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

I40 common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

I40 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Hyundai I40 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201980%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201673%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201362%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer I40 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The I40 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 102,905
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel98.6%
Petrol1.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

I40 S CRDI BLUE DRIVE
I40 STYLE GDI

Check a specific Hyundai I40

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Hyundai models

Hyundai I10 — 67.7% adjusted
Hyundai Tucson — 74.8% adjusted
Hyundai I20 — 70.0% adjusted
Hyundai I30 — 68.7% adjusted
Hyundai Kona — 86.3% unadjusted
Hyundai IX35 — 63.8% unadjusted
All Hyundai models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Mercedes-Benz Citan — 65.2% adjusted, ranked 221
Volkswagen Amarok — 80.1% adjusted, ranked 52
Toyota Land Cruiser — 82.5% adjusted, ranked 32
Volvo S60 — 76.6% adjusted, ranked 90

Common questions

Is the Hyundai I40 reliable?: On MOT evidence the Hyundai I40 is above average. It passes 75.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 60% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Hyundai I40?: The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 17.2% of failed Hyundai I40 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Hyundai I40?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 30.3% of all Hyundai I40 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Hyundai I40 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 102,905 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Hyundai I40 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Hyundai I40 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 80.4%, and those registered 2011–2013 do worst at 61.9%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Hyundai I40 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 80.4% of Hyundai I40 tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 61.9%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Hyundai I40 models petrol or diesel?: Of the Hyundai I40 cars tested, 99% are diesel, 1% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.