Royal Enfield
Bullet 500
1,270 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Bullet 500s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 11.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
89.2%
Pass-after-fix
4.6%
Fail
5.5%
Avg miles
10,117
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
Bullet 500: a strong MOT record by UK norms
Across 1,008 MOT tests, the Bullet 500 returns 88.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-conforming number plate. Lamp missing or inoperative and direction indicator lamp missing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 10,403, 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 direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
9 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 02
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
9 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 03
A lamp missing or inoperative
8 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 04
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 05
Audible warning not working
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 06
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
- 07
Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 08
Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 09
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
- 10
A tyre not fitted in accordance with the direction of rotation marked on the side wall
4 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 2 failures
£16–£70
If every one of this Bullet 500'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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Buying or keeping a Bullet 500?
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 Bullet 500 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.