The picture
500 Star Mhev: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 952 MOT tests, the 500 Star Mhev returns 86.3% 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 tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 15,354, 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
42 occurrences · 4.4% of tests
- 02
Wiper blade defective
17 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 03
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
16 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
- 04
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
11 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
- 05
A tyre seriously damaged
11 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
- 06
A tyre seriously damaged
8 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 07
A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud
4 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 08
A seat belt or flexible stalk damaged
3 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
- 09
A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative
3 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
- 10
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
3 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 Star 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 →
Try the calculator
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
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 Star 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 Star 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.