Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 2,044 tests

Pass rate climbs 4.7 points across the cohorts — newer Unclassified examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 804

Pass

86.4%

Fail

7.5%

PRS

5.5%

Avg mileage at test

30,555 mi

2018–2020 cohort 947

Pass

87.9%

Fail

5.1%

PRS

6.4%

Avg mileage at test

15,270 mi

2021+ cohort 293

Pass

91.1%

Fail

2.7%

PRS

5.5%

Avg mileage at test

10,826 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 936 MOT tests, the Unclassified returns 87.6% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. Windscreen damage and tyre valve seriously damaged round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 20,486, 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.

Filter failures:

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

01

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

31 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

31 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
03

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

17 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
04

An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction

12 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
05

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

12 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
06

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

12 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
07

An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

11 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
08

A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light

10 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
09

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

8 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
10

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

7 occurrences · 0.3% 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

£28–£80

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 4.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Chausson Unclassified has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

91.1%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 91.1% — a 4.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 10,826 miles — roughly 20K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, does not conform to the specified requirements — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

86.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 86.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and does not clear the windscreen effectively. Average mileage on test for this band is 30,555 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (91.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (86.4% pass). That's a 4.7-point spread across 804 older tests and 293 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

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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

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.