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Hyundai ix20

All generations and engines together · 28,754 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 38k

Reliability verdict
BBy age
EBy miles

Graded against its peers

Better than most people carriers for its age, but one of the worst per mile driven. Watch steering and lights & electrics. One to judge on its mileage rather than its age, and worth it only if its MOT history has no repeating steering advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
15.0%
Across 3,066 tests. The average for people carriers is 20.6%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
32.3%
Across 3,639 tests. The average for people carriers is 24.9%.
Rank in its class
2 of 23
1 = lowest failure rate among the 23 people carriers we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
38k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Stop-start (ISG) system quits working

Emerging

The ISG stop-start system needs a fully charged AGM battery and a decent run to work at all, so cars used mostly for short trips often show the ISG light off permanently. Hyundai quietly dropped ISG from petrol models after March 2012, which owners and forums read as a tacit admission it never worked well in town use. It is not a repair as such, more a nuisance and a sign the battery or its sensor may need attention, and a poor one can bring the fuel economy down to what the car would do without ISG at all.

Reported from 40-60k miles, worse in short-journey cars · sources: Honest John Ask HJ, Hyundai Forums

Diesel hesitation, EGR and DPF clogging

EmergingDiesel only

1.4 and 1.6 CRDi cars get a recurring complaint of flat spots and lost power under acceleration, traced by owners to EGR valve wear, sticking injectors, or a DPF that never gets hot enough on short runs and lets fuel dilute the engine oil. Fixes reported by owners range from a dealer software update and fuel system flush to EGR or injector replacement, and it can take more than one attempt. A DPF or EGR job runs from a few hundred pounds for cleaning up to over a thousand for replacement parts; no manufacturer recall covers it.

Reported from 30-40k miles onward · sources: Hyundai Forums, Autodoc

Steering rattle and heavy electric power steering

Partly in the MOT data

Owners report a rattle or knock through the electric power steering column, plus occasional heavy or inconsistent steering weight on tight manoeuvres like parking. It has proved a hard one for dealers to cure permanently, with some cars needing more than one steering rack or column swap. This lines up with what the MOT data shows for the ix20 against its mpv class, steering is the standout failure area, so a car with a history of steering advisories or a repeat steering rack replacement fits a pattern that shows up both in owner reports and in the test data.

Reported across the car's life, from early ownership onward · sources: Hyundai Forums, MOT test data (measured steering signature for this segment)

Rear brake calipers seizing

Emerging

A well-documented complaint is a rear caliper sticking in the handbrake-applied position, causing a dragging brake, uneven pad wear, or a burning smell after a short drive. It shows up across both engines and is usually put down to the handbrake mechanism inside the caliper corroding if the car sits unused or the handbrake is rarely exercised fully. A caliper replacement (parts and labour) typically runs to a few hundred pounds per side, and there is no recall covering it.

Reported from around 40-70k miles · sources: Honest John, Hyundai Forums

Manual clutch judder on facelift cars

EmergingManual gearbox only

On post-2016 cars some owners report a judder or shudder pulling away from rest in a manual, traced by dealers to the balance weights inside the clutch plate springs, which needed the clutch assembly replacing to cure. It is not universal and seems to affect a minority of manual cars rather than the whole range. Repair means a full clutch replacement, in the region of £400-£700 depending on parts and labour, and it is not the subject of a public recall.

Reported on facelift-era manuals · sources: Honest John

ABS module failure from moisture ingress

Disputed

A number of owners report ABS warning lights and a failed ABS module linked to moisture getting into the unit, with forums arguing over whether this is a design weak point or the result of owners skipping the recommended brake fluid changes, which lets the system corrode internally. Either way it is an expensive part to replace, reported in the hundreds of pounds, and it is worth knowing before you buy rather than after the light comes on.

Reported at varying ages, more common on cars with no recorded brake fluid changes · sources: Honest John, Hyundai Forums

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 2.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.8%
Handbrake holdRuns high on this model Stop on a hill and put the handbrake on. It should hold the car firmly within a few clicks, or straight away on the button if it is electronic. Roll-back means adjustment at best, new cables or a caliper motor at worst.Recorded on 2.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.3%
A binding brakeRuns high on this model After the test drive, hold the back of your hand near each wheel hub. One wheel running much hotter than the rest is a sticking caliper. A car that slows itself down when you lift off on a flat road is saying the same thing.Recorded on 2.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 2.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Leaks Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 1.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%
Bushes and ball joints Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 0.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all fourRuns high on this model Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 20.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 11.1%
Pads and discsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 13.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 1.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Cold start the car and let it idle, then check the stop-start light comes on and actually cuts the engine once warm. If it never engages, the ISG system or its battery may already be on the way out.
On a diesel, accelerate hard from low revs through the mid-range. A flat spot or hesitation around 2,000-2,500rpm points to the EGR, injector or DPF issue owners report.
With the car stationary, turn the steering lock to lock and listen for rattling or graunching from the column. Noise here matches the steering complaint that also shows up as this model's standout MOT failure.
Pull the MOT history and look for repeat steering advisories or failures. A pattern of steering entries backs up the folklore and the measured data pointing the same way.
Apply the handbrake fully, release it, then check the car rolls freely with no drag or burning smell. Dragging points to a seized rear caliper, a well-known repeat issue on this model.
On a manual car, pull away in first and second under load a few times. A judder or shudder suggests the clutch balance-weight problem some post-2016 cars have needed a new clutch for.
Ask for brake fluid change history and check the ABS light behaviour on start-up. No record of fluid changes raises the risk of the corrosion-linked ABS module failure some owners report.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Hyundai ix20Class average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 11,979 tests in this band.

Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
2.7%class 0.8%
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement
Fail
2.5%class 0.3%
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
Advisory
2.2%class 0.7%
A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded
Advisory
2.2%class 0.4%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
1.9%class 1.9%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
1.6%class 1.3%
Parking brake inoperative on one side
Fail
1.4%class 0.2%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
1.1%class 2.0%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
0.9%class 5.9%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
0.9%class 0.8%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
21.5%class 22.9%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
21.3%class 12.7%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
13.8%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
9.7%class 10.1%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
4.1%class 3.4%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
3.1%class 1.6%
Number plate inscription missing or illegible
Advisory
2.4%class 1.5%
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
Fail
2.1%class 2.2%

Others in its class

Same segment (MPVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

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