MOT cost .

Triumph

Spitfire

649 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Spitfires pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 4.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,988 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

80.0%

Pass-after-fix

1.7%

Fail

17.7%

Avg miles

48,249

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

The picture

Spitfire: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass

Across 649 MOT tests, the Spitfire returns 80.0% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brakes imbalance across an axle such. Emissions levels exceed default limits and a weak handbrake round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 48,249, 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.

  1. 01

    Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle.

    20 occurrences · 3.1% of tests

  2. 02

    Emissions levels exceed default limits

    16 occurrences · 2.5% of tests

  3. 03

    Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    14 occurrences · 2.2% 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

    14 occurrences · 2.2% of tests

  5. 05

    A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    13 occurrences · 2.0% of tests

  6. 06

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

    12 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  7. 07

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

    12 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  8. 08

    Emissions levels exceed default limits

    11 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  9. 09

    Audible warning inoperative

    11 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  10. 10

    Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    9 occurrences · 1.4% 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.

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Buying or keeping a Spitfire?

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 Spitfire 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.