The picture
Bandit: above-average pass rates, with caveats
Across 553 MOT tests, the Bandit returns 82.8% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is rate of flashing not between 60. A non-functioning shock absorber and a stop-lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 29,458, 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.
- 01
Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute
12 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
- 02
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
10 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 03
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
9 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 04
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
9 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
- 05
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
6 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 06
A lamp missing or inoperative
6 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 07
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
6 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 08
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
6 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 09
A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely which could cause sudden deflation of the tyre
5 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 10
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
4 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 2 failures
£68–£130
If every one of this Bandit'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.
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
Item 02 · 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
Buying or keeping a Bandit?
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 Bandit 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.