Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 4,333 tests

Pass rate climbs 9.9 points across the cohorts — newer Grafter N35.125 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 222

Pass

73.4%

Fail

20.7%

PRS

5.4%

Avg mileage at test

88,828 mi

2018–2020 cohort 2,743

Pass

80.7%

Fail

14.9%

PRS

4.1%

Avg mileage at test

62,248 mi

2021+ cohort 1,368

Pass

83.3%

Fail

11.3%

PRS

4.6%

Avg mileage at test

38,190 mi

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

The picture

Grafter N35.125: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 2,116 MOT tests, the Grafter N35.125 returns 79.0% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. Windscreen damage and a worn shock-absorber bush round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 53,187, 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

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

189 occurrences · 4.4% of tests
02

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

179 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
03

A shock absorber bush excessively worn

104 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
04

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

90 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
05

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

84 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
06

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

79 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
07

Wiper blade defective

67 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

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

62 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
09

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

60 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
10

Tyre obviously under inflated

57 occurrences · 1.3% 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 Grafter N35.125'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 9.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Isuzu Trucks Grafter N35.125 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

83.3%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 83.3% — a 9.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 38,190 miles — roughly 51K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps… — 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

73.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 83.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has an excessively worn bush, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…. Average mileage on test for this band is 88,828 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (83.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.4% pass). That's a 9.9-point spread across 222 older tests and 1,368 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 a Grafter N35.125?

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 a Grafter N35.125 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.