2004 MG Zs: MOT pass rate and reliability
68.9% of 2004 MG Zs pass the MOT first time, measured across 354 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 91,265 miles.
How the 2004 compares
- Against all MG Zs (81.8%, 19,111 tests): -12.9 points
- Against all 2004 cars (64%): +4.9 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every MG Zs model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the MG Zs:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 65.4% | 211 | 92,903 |
| 2003 | 63.2% | 277 | 86,718 |
| 2004 | 68.9% | 354 | 91,265 |
| 2005 | 72.2% | 259 | 93,474 |
| 2017 | 76.6% | 350 | 45,629 |
| 2018 | 80.5% | 5,086 | 41,938 |
| 2019 | 83.3% | 8,016 | 34,559 |
| 2020 | 84.9% | 4,385 | 28,249 |
What this means if you are buying a 2004 Zs
The 2004 is a weaker year for this model, passing 12.9 points less often than the MG Zs average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2004 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 22-year-old car fails on
A 2004 car is 22 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures. On a 2004 MG Zs the average at test was 91,265 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2020 at 84.9%, and the weakest in our data is 2003 at 63.2%. That 21.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2002 MG Zs - 65.4%
- 2003 MG Zs - 63.2%
- 2005 MG Zs - 72.2%
- 2017 MG Zs - 76.6%
- 2018 MG Zs - 80.5%