MG TF 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

34.9% of 19,510 MOT tests of the MG TF first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 103.6 (95% CI 101.1–106.1; 100 = normal for this model at that age): close to other build years of the same model at the same age (within 5 points of normal).

MG TF built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	34.9	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	19510
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 101.1–106.1)	103.6	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	19510
Rank among this model's 7 build years	7	of 7	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	19510
Tested in 2024	2666	tests	median 59,660 miles	2024	2666

Built 2003 against MG TF normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 37.5% vs 38.7%; age 17: 35.3% vs 34.6%; age 18: 35.6% vs 33.6%; age 19: 35% vs 31.6%; age 20: 31.5% vs 30.6%; age 21: 32.8% vs 30.7%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 MG TF by registration · All MG TF MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2003 MG TF fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

MG TF built 2003: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
16	4,130	37.5	36–39	38.7	96.8
17	3,197	35.3	33.6–37	34.6	102.1
18	3,392	35.6	34–37.2	33.6	106.1
19	3,200	35	33.4–36.7	31.6	110.8
20	2,925	31.5	29.8–33.2	30.6	102.9
21	2,666	32.8	31.1–34.6	30.7	107.1

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 19,510 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2003 MG TF?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is brakes: 25.3 items per 100 first tests, against 21.3 across all build years of the MG TF. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, MG TF built 2003 against the MG TF in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Brakes	25.3	21.3	4,932
Suspension	20.5	19.8	4,006
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	18	15.5	3,515
Noise, emissions and leaks	11	10	2,139
Visibility	10.5	9.4	2,041

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 19,510 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 7 published build years of the MG TF, 2003 ranks 7 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 102.0. 2004: index 97.4.

MG TF build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2002	102.0	99.0–105.0	no different	13,125
2003	103.6	101.1–106.1	worse	19,510
2004	97.4	95.0–99.9	better	18,380
2005	90.1	86.7–93.6	better	8,569
2006	84.3	76.5–92.0	better (rough estimate)	1,572
2008	91.7	74.2–109.3	no different (rough estimate)	337
2009	78.5	66.2–90.8	better (rough estimate)	589

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 62,082 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). MG TF 2003 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mg-tf/2003/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

MG TF 2002 · MG TF 2004 · MG TF 2005 · MG TF 2006 · MG TF 2008 · MG TF 2009 · MG TF in the Netherlands · MG TF by postcode area · MG TF body, chassis and structure failures · MG TF brakes failures · MG TF vehicle identification failures · MG TF lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · MG TF noise, emissions and leaks failures · MG TF road wheels failures · MG TF seat belts and airbags failures · MG TF steering failures · MG TF suspension failures · MG TF tyres failures · MG TF visibility failures