Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 1,448 tests

Pass rate climbs 11.0 points across the cohorts — newer Unclassified examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 756

Pass

79.5%

Fail

14.7%

PRS

5.3%

Avg mileage at test

138,146 mi

2018–2020 cohort 544

Pass

85.7%

Fail

10.3%

PRS

2.9%

Avg mileage at test

99,692 mi

2021+ cohort 148

Pass

90.5%

Fail

6.8%

PRS

2.7%

Avg mileage at test

47,434 mi

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

The picture

Unclassified: above-average pass rates, with caveats

Across 753 MOT tests, the Unclassified returns 83.4% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A missing CV-joint boot and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 108,636, 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

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

74 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
02

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

34 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
03

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

25 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
04

Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

20 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
05

Reflector defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface

19 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
06

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

17 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
07

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

15 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
08

A tyre seriously damaged

14 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
09

Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose

13 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
10

Wiper blade defective

13 occurrences · 0.9% 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.

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Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 11.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Man Unclassified has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

90.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 90.5% — a 11.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 47,434 miles — roughly 91K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the… — 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

79.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 79.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 90.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and defective or damaged by up to 50%…. Average mileage on test for this band is 138,146 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (90.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (79.5% pass). That's a 11.0-point spread across 756 older tests and 148 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

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

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Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

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Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

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Book a mobile mechanic

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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.