Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 1,399 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Unclassified examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 104

Pass

90.4%

Fail

6.7%

PRS

2.9%

Avg mileage at test

5,148 mi

2018–2020 cohort 1,091

Pass

91.9%

Fail

4.0%

PRS

3.9%

Avg mileage at test

2,263 mi

2021+ cohort 204

Pass

91.2%

Fail

2.9%

PRS

3.9%

Avg mileage at test

1,828 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Unclassified: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 782 MOT tests, the Unclassified returns 90.5% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is direction indicator lamp missing. A non-conforming number plate and lamp emitted colour, position round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 2,346, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

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Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

10 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
02

Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution

7 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
03

A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

7 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
04

Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements

6 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
05

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
06

A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely

4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
07

Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
08

A direction indicator lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
09

A footrest missing or insecure

3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
10

A rear registration plate lamp throwing direct white light to the rear

2 occurrences · 0.1% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures

£23–£70

If every one of this Unclassified's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Ccm Unclassified makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

91.9%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 91.9% — a 1.6-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort, not working — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

90.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 90.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: does not conform to the specified requirements, missing, and too low. Average mileage on test for this band is 5,148 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (91.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (90.4% pass). That's a 1.6-point spread across 104 older tests and 1,091 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

MOT-spec replacement number plate

Faded or non-standard plates fail outright. Replacements take ten minutes online with V5C details.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Buying or keeping an Unclassified?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own an Unclassified and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.