Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 22,200 tests

Pass rate climbs 5.6 points across the cohorts — newer Vespa examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 18,361

Pass

86.8%

Fail

8.3%

PRS

4.7%

Avg mileage at test

11,788 mi

2018–2020 cohort 3,643

Pass

93.1%

Fail

4.1%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

5,535 mi

2021+ cohort 196

Pass

92.3%

Fail

3.6%

PRS

4.1%

Avg mileage at test

4,815 mi

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

The picture

Piaggio Vespa: solid MOT record across 17,689 tests

Vespa is an Italian brand of scooters and mopeds manufactured by Piaggio. The Vespa has evolved from a single model motor scooter manufactured in 1946 by Piaggio & Co.

MOT data from 17,689 tests puts this car on an 87.1% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 10,374 miles. The most common fail item is tyre tread below the legal limit, followed by headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led.

For used buyers, the Vespa's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

306 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
02

A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

138 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
03

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

89 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
04

Exhaust system leaking or insecure

84 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
05

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

79 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
06

Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

74 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
07

A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED

73 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
08

A stop lamp(s) remains on when the brakes are released

71 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
09

A lamp missing or inoperative

70 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
10

Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake

67 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 4 failures

£198–£490

If every one of this Vespa'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 6.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Piaggio Vespa has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

93.1%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 93.1% — a 6.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 5,535 miles — roughly 6K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, has an excessively worn bush — 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

86.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 86.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, not working on dipped beam, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 11,788 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (93.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (86.8% pass). That's a 6.4-point spread across 18,361 older tests and 3,643 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

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

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

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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Recall history

5 UK recalls on record.

The Vespa has 5 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Vespa?

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 Vespa 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.