How reliable is the Ssangyong Tivoli compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Ssangyong Tivoli, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 71.4% across 7,546 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What do testers most often warn about on a Ssangyong Tivoli?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Ssangyong Tivoli tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Ssangyong Tivoli usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 50,972 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 Ssangyong Tivoli years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Ssangyong Tivoli cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 81.2%, and those registered 2014–2016 do worst at 66.8%. 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 Ssangyong Tivoli get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.2% of Ssangyong Tivoli tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Ssangyong Tivoli models petrol or diesel?

Of the Ssangyong Tivoli cars tested, 60% are petrol, 40% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Ssangyong Tivoli MOT pass rate & common failures

From 7,546 recorded MOT tests of the Ssangyong Tivoli, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 7,546 MOT tests, 71.4% of Ssangyong Tivoli tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Ssangyong Tivoli fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, which appears in 22.0% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 50,972 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

71.4%unadjusted, not comparable7,546 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Tivoli. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 7,546 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps22.0%
356 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm19.6%
318 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.5%
235 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.6%
188 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.5%
170 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged7.6%
124 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED6.9%
112 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.8%
111 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
9.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.7%
109 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
10.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn6.6%
107 occurrencesBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Ssangyong Tivoli 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 requirements23.4%
1,763 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured14.8%
1,120 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm14.5%
1,095 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged13.8%
1,042 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded9.7%
734 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
6.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn5.4%
410 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.2%
244 tests
8.Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements3.0%
228 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Ssangyong Tivoli

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

Ssangyong Tivoli 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 Tivoli, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Tivoli common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Tivoli pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Ssangyong Tivoli passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202281%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201971%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201667%

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 Tivoli 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 Tivoli fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 50,972
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol59.5%
Diesel40.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

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

TIVOLI 1.6 ELX AUTO
TIVOLI EX
TIVOLI EX AUTO
TIVOLI SE
TIVOLI ULTIMATE
TIVOLI ULTIMATE T
TIVOLI ULTIMATE T AUTO
TIVOLI VENTURA

Check a specific Ssangyong Tivoli

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

Compare within the range

Other Ssangyong models

Ssangyong Korando — 65.9% adjusted
Ssangyong Rexton — 67.6% adjusted
Ssangyong Musso — 64.3% unadjusted
Ssangyong Rodius — 59.5% unadjusted
All Ssangyong models

Common questions

How reliable is the Ssangyong Tivoli compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Ssangyong Tivoli, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 71.4% across 7,546 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Ssangyong Tivoli?: The item recorded most often is "A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps", which appears in 22.0% of failed Ssangyong Tivoli 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 Ssangyong Tivoli?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Ssangyong Tivoli tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Ssangyong Tivoli usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 50,972 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 Ssangyong Tivoli years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Ssangyong Tivoli cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 81.2%, and those registered 2014–2016 do worst at 66.8%. 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 Ssangyong Tivoli get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.2% of Ssangyong Tivoli tests pass. By 9 to 11 years, that falls to 66.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Ssangyong Tivoli models petrol or diesel?: Of the Ssangyong Tivoli cars tested, 60% are petrol, 40% are diesel. 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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.