Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 4,660 tests

Pass rate drops 1.4 points across the cohorts — recent Speed examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 1,183

Pass

89.2%

Fail

5.2%

PRS

5.5%

Avg mileage at test

15,685 mi

2018–2020 cohort 3,068

Pass

92.0%

Fail

3.5%

PRS

4.0%

Avg mileage at test

7,253 mi

2021+ cohort 409

Pass

87.8%

Fail

6.6%

PRS

5.6%

Avg mileage at test

5,129 mi

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

The picture

Speed: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 3,044 MOT tests, the Speed returns 90.0% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is uneven braking force. A non-conforming number plate and a missing rear reflector round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 8,200, 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.

Filter failures:

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

01

Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution

27 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

25 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
03

Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

20 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
04

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

17 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
05

Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

13 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
06

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

10 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
07

Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements

9 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
08

Projected beam image is obviously incorrect

7 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
09

Rear registration plate lamp does not illuminate simultaneously with the position lamps

6 occurrences · 0.1% of tests
10

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

6 occurrences · 0.1% 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 Speed'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 4.2-point gap between bands means the year you buy Triumph Speed has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

92.0%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 92.0% — a 4.2-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort, tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

87.8%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 87.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: missing, tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, and does not conform to the specified requirements. Average mileage on test for this band is 5,129 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (92.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (87.8% pass). That's a 4.2-point spread across 409 older tests and 3,068 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

MOT-spec replacement number plate

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

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

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.

Get a quote →

Buying or keeping a Speed?

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 Speed 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.