MOT cost .
Triumph Bonneville
MOT 2024

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Triumph

Bonneville

25,789 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Bonnevilles pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 13.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

90.8%

Pass-after-fix

4.9%

Fail

4.1%

Avg miles

10,622

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

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Trim variants

T 100 865 90.1% 1,377

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 25,789 tests

Pass rate climbs 1.2 points across the cohorts — newer Bonneville examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 19,291

Pass

90.0%

Fail

4.4%

PRS

5.4%

Avg mileage at test

12,076 mi

2018–2020 cohort 6,008

Pass

93.4%

Fail

3.2%

PRS

3.3%

Avg mileage at test

6,484 mi

2021+ cohort 490

Pass

91.2%

Fail

2.9%

PRS

5.3%

Avg mileage at test

4,251 mi

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

The picture

Triumph Bonneville: solid MOT record across 18,868 tests

The Triumph Bonneville is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 18,868 tests puts this car on an 90.3% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 10,138 miles. The most common fail item is brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

For used buyers, the Bonneville'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:

  1. 01

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    101 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  2. 02

    Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

    100 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  3. 03

    Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

    100 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  4. 04

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

    66 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  5. 05

    Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

    65 occurrences · 0.3% of tests

  6. 06

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

    58 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  7. 07

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

    56 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  8. 08

    Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution

    54 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  9. 09

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

    48 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  10. 10

    Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute

    44 occurrences · 0.2% 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 3 failures

£155–£290

If every one of this Bonneville'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 3.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Triumph Bonneville has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

93.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 93.4% — a 3.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 6,484 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, less than 1.0 mm thick — 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

90.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 90.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: does not conform to the specified requirements, less than 1.0 mm thick, and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 12,076 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (93.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (90.0% pass). That's a 3.4-point spread across 19,291 older tests and 6,008 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

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

Item 03 · Amazon UK

MOT-spec replacement number plate

Faded or non-standard plates fail outright. Replacements take ten minutes online with V5C details.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

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.

Get a quote →

Recall history

2 UK recalls on record.

The Bonneville has 2 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Bonneville?

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 Bonneville 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.