Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 2,321 tests

Pass rate drops 1.2 points across the cohorts — recent MT 09 Abs examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 1,002

Pass

92.3%

Fail

3.0%

PRS

4.6%

Avg mileage at test

12,049 mi

2018–2020 cohort 1,195

Pass

90.4%

Fail

4.1%

PRS

5.5%

Avg mileage at test

8,842 mi

2021+ cohort 124

Pass

91.1%

Fail

3.2%

PRS

5.7%

Avg mileage at test

6,065 mi

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

The picture

Mt-09 Abs: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 1,616 MOT tests, the Mt-09 Abs returns 90.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a missing rear reflector. A non-conforming number plate and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 9,104, 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

Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

15 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

15 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
03

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

11 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
04

Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute

8 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
05

A rear registration plate lamp throwing direct white light to the rear

7 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
06

A footrest missing or insecure

6 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
07

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

5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
08

Exhaust noise levels in excess of those permitted

5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
09

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

5 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
10

A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely which could cause sudden deflation of the tyre

5 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

£83–£165

If every one of this MT 09 Abs'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 1.9-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Yamaha MT 09 Abs makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

92.3%

Pre-2018 registration

the older band (pre-2018) climbs to 92.3% — a 1.9-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: missing, throwing direct white light to the rear — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

90.4%

2018–2020 registration

On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 90.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, missing, and does not conform to the specified requirements. Average mileage on test for this band is 8,842 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: pre-2018 (92.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (90.4% pass). That's a 1.9-point spread across 1,195 older tests and 1,002 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

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

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 an MT 09 Abs?

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 an MT 09 Abs 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.