2018 Hyundai Tucson 1.6L Petrol · EA68 PZP

The 2018 Hyundai Tucson presents a mixed maintenance picture as of its most recent MOT activity in February 2026. The car failed an initial test on 27 February 2026 at 52,232 miles due to an illegible rear registration plate inscription and rear brake pads measuring below the 1.5 mm minimum thickness threshold. A retest on the same day at the same mileage passed, indicating the brake pads were replaced and the number plate defect was rectified promptly. This suggests the faults were addressed rather than ignored. However, the underlying pattern reveals a gradual decline in mechanical condition over the past two years. The 2025 test at 44,244 miles carried advisories for a deteriorated rear registration plate and thin rear brake pads, both of which worsened by the following year. The trend is one of consumable wear progressing into outright failure between annual tests, pointing to reactive rather than proactive maintenance. The mileage accumulation is consistent with typical use for an eight-year-old vehicle. Between the 2024 pass at 35,439 miles and the 2025 test at 44,244 miles, the car covered 8,805 miles in roughly twelve months, a step up from the earlier average of approximately 6,529 miles per year. From March 2025 to February 2026, the car added 7,988 miles, confirming sustained regular use. There are no suspicious gaps in the MOT record that would suggest the vehicle stood idle for extended periods. The annual testing pattern is consistent, with tests clustered around February and March each year, and the mileage progression follows a logical trajectory without anomalies. Buyers should pay particular attention to the rear braking system during any in-person inspection. The rear pads were flagged as wearing thin in March 2025 and then failed the minimum thickness check by February 2026, meaning they degraded from advisory to failure within eleven months. This rate of wear warrants checking the condition of the rear brake discs for scoring or lipping, as pads worn below specification often indicate the discs have also been compromised. The rear calipers should be inspected for binding or sticking, a common cause of accelerated and uneven pad wear on Hyundai SUVs of this generation. The nearside rear child seat restriction appearing in both 2025 and 2026 tests prevented a full inspection of the adult seatbelt mechanism, so a buyer should manually check the belt's retraction, locking function, and webbing condition. The rear registration plate deterioration recurring across two consecutive tests suggests the lamp lens or housing may also be degrading, so check the rear light units for moisture ingress or cracked lenses. Suspension components, particularly rear trailing arm bushes and shock absorber mounts, deserve a thorough check given the mileage and the absence of any recorded replacements in the history.