Tesla Model 3 2020: MOT failure rate for its age

17.4% of 42,681 MOT tests of the Tesla Model 3 first registered in 2020 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 108.9 (95% CI 106.5–111.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2020 Tesla Model 3 fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Tesla Model 3 built in 2020 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	17.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	42681
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 106.5–111.4)	108.9	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	42681
Rank among this model's 2 build years	2	of 2	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	42681
Tested in 2024	22292	tests	median 41,073 miles	2024	22292

Built 2020 against Tesla Model 3 normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 17.9% vs 15.7%; age 4: 16.9% vs 16.2%. Axis from 0% to 20%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2020 Tesla Model 3 by registration · All Tesla Model 3 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 2020 Tesla Model 3 fail at each age?

Cars built in 2020 were tested at ages 3 to 4 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.

Tesla Model 3 built 2020: 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)
3	20,389	17.9	17.3–18.4	15.7	114.1
4	22,292	16.9	16.4–17.4	16.2	104.4

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 42,681 (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 2020 Tesla Model 3?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2020 is tyres: 21.5 items per 100 first tests, against 20.1 across all build years of the Tesla Model 3. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2020 were tested at ages 3 to 4.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Tesla Model 3 built 2020 against the Tesla Model 3 in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2020, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Tyres	21.5	20.1	9,297
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	3.6	2.7	1,577
Visibility	2.9	2.8	1,264
Suspension	2.2	1.9	953
Brakes	0.9	0.7	397

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 43,223 (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 2020 compare with the years around it?

Among the 2 published build years of the Tesla Model 3, 2020 ranks 2 (1 = fails least for its age). 2019: index 98.6.

Tesla Model 3 build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2019	98.6	95.8–101.4	no different	29,180
2020	108.9	106.5–111.4	worse	42,681

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 71,861 (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). Tesla Model 3 2020 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/tesla-model-3/2020/

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.

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