Piaggio
2,450 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Zips pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's in line with the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models.
Pass
77.3%
Pass-after-fix
5.8%
Fail
16.0%
Avg miles
9,401
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 · 2,433 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.7 points across the cohorts — newer Zip examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
76.9%
Fail
16.3%
PRS
5.7%
Avg mileage at test
9,691 mi
Pass
79.6%
Fail
13.6%
PRS
6.8%
Avg mileage at test
6,948 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,921 MOT tests, the Zip returns 76.7% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is headlamp missing, inoperative. A stop-lamp out and a non-functioning shock absorber round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 9,356, 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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Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
45 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
44 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
38 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear
31 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Audible warning not working
30 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
29 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Steering head bearings have excessive wear or play
28 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
27 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Projected beam image is obviously incorrect
24 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A lamp missing or inoperative
23 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.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£18–£115
If every one of this Zip'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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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.7-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Piaggio Zip makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
79.6%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 79.6% — a 2.7-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: throwing direct white light to the rear, too low — 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
76.9%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 76.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 79.6% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: not working, not working on dipped beam, and has negligible damping effect. Average mileage on test for this band is 9,691 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (79.6% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (76.9% pass). That's a 2.7-point spread across 2,212 older tests and 221 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
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
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
My Motor World · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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.
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 Zip 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.
