Triumph
2,790 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Tridents 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
5.2%
Fail
5.0%
Avg miles
17,106
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 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,770 tests
Pass rate climbs 5.6 points across the cohorts — newer Trident examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
85.9%
Fail
7.9%
PRS
6.2%
Avg mileage at test
33,152 mi
Pass
91.5%
Fail
2.8%
PRS
4.6%
Avg mileage at test
5,277 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 581 MOT tests, the Trident returns 89.0% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-functioning shock absorber. Brake pads worn below 1.0 mm and direction indicator lamp missing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 30,954, 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.
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A footrest missing or insecure
28 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
26 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Contaminated with oil, grease etc
12 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
7 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
7 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A brake lining or pad contaminated with oil, grease etc
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A lamp not securely attached
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely which could cause sudden deflation of the tyre
6 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements
6 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.
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Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 5.6-point gap between bands means the year you buy Triumph Trident has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
91.5%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 91.5% — a 5.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 5,277 miles — roughly 28K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: missing, does not conform to the specified requirements — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
85.9%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 85.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, contaminated, and contaminated. Average mileage on test for this band is 33,152 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (91.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (85.9% pass). That's a 5.6-point spread across 1,179 older tests and 1,591 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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.
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Recall history
The Trident has 1 official UK vehicle recall covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
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 Trident 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.
