All generations and engines together · 7,351 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 54k
One of the worst small SUVs, by age and by mileage. Watch brakes and lights & electrics. A risky used buy. Check the MOT history for repeating brakes advisories before you go.
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.
Two separate weak spots show up under the same heading: early manual cars (2015 build) with a stiff, obstructive change from first to second, in at least one case bad enough that the gearbox was swapped under warranty, and the automatic version, which owners and testers describe as hesitant and jerky pulling away or manoeuvring at parking speed. Neither has a manufacturer fix on record, so it reads as a character trait of the range rather than something SsangYong ever addressed. Worth doing a proper low-speed drive on both types before buying.
Three separate safety recalls have been issued for fuel system leaks: faulty hoses on cars built July 2015 to January 2016, faulty pipes on a much bigger batch built July 2015 to August 2018, and a fuel tank connection issue on a small batch of early 2019 cars. This is manufacturer-acknowledged and fixed free of charge, but a used example that slipped through the recall process is a real fire risk, not just an MOT advisory waiting to happen.
The 1.6-litre diesel is repeatedly described as noisy and unrefined once worked hard, more tractor than modern turbodiesel. It's not reported as a reliability problem in itself, more a running characteristic buyers should expect, but a diesel that's noticeably worse than a typical example on a test drive is worth getting checked rather than dismissed as normal. Doesn't apply to the petrol Tivoli.
Owners report roof rail paint cracking and flaking, and light-coloured leather trim discolouring within the first year or two. A tester also found interior trim starting to rattle on a nearly-new car. None of it affects how the car drives or its MOT result, but it's the kind of thing that erodes resale value and suggests the finish quality is a step behind Kia or Hyundai from the same era.
One owner report describes the parking brake failing to hold the car on a hill. It's a thin sample, one documented case, but it lines up with what the wider MOT data shows for this model: brakes are the measured signature fault for small SUVs in this class, and the Tivoli follows that pattern. Treat this as a reason to specifically test the handbrake on an incline rather than evidence of a widespread mechanical defect.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
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.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 5,353 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Small SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.