Piaggio
2,019 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Liberty 125s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 2.5 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
80.0%
Pass-after-fix
6.8%
Fail
12.5%
Avg miles
26,402
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 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,006 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.5 points across the cohorts — newer Liberty 125 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
78.0%
Fail
12.8%
PRS
8.3%
Avg mileage at test
24,643 mi
Pass
81.5%
Fail
12.1%
PRS
5.8%
Avg mileage at test
27,881 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,731 MOT tests, the Liberty 125 returns 77.4% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Brake pads worn below 1.0 mm and brake efficiency below minimum requirement round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 24,289, 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.
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Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
49 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
29 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
28 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
24 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A stop lamp(s) remains on when the brakes are released
20 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
19 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Brake control has insufficient reserve travel
16 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
15 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
Brake efficiency below minimum requirement
15 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
15 occurrences · 0.7% 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 5 failures
£164–£360
If every one of this Liberty 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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.5-point gap between bands means the year you buy Piaggio Liberty 125 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
81.5%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 81.5% — a 3.5-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, inoperative in the case of a single… — 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
78.0%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 78.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 81.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, not working, and remains on when the brakes are released. Average mileage on test for this band is 24,643 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (81.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (78.0% pass). That's a 3.5-point spread across 843 older tests and 1,163 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Item 03 · Amazon UK
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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 Liberty 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.
