Kawasaki
Er5
2,005 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Er5s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 2.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
79.5%
Pass-after-fix
7.7%
Fail
12.3%
Avg miles
28,861
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
The picture
Er5: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 1,317 MOT tests, the Er5 returns 79.7% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is rate of flashing not between 60. A non-functioning shock absorber and uneven braking force round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 29,160, 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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- 01
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
43 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
- 02
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
26 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
- 03
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
22 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 04
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
21 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
- 05
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution
20 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
- 06
Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute
19 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 07
A lamp missing or inoperative
19 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 08
A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
16 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
- 09
A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely which could cause sudden deflation of the tyre
15 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 10
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
12 occurrences · 0.6% 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
£68–£130
If every one of this Er5'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 →
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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
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
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.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
Book a mobile mechanic
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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.
Buying or keeping an Er5?
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 Er5 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.