Photo: AVMOTO, CC BY-SA 4.0
Yamaha
2,210 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where YS 125s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 2.3 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
75.2%
Pass-after-fix
11.4%
Fail
13.3%
Avg miles
11,515
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 2,139 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.9 points across the cohorts — newer YS 125 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
73.1%
Fail
15.6%
PRS
11.2%
Avg mileage at test
13,163 mi
Pass
76.0%
Fail
12.6%
PRS
11.3%
Avg mileage at test
10,962 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,786 MOT tests, the Ys 125 returns 76.8% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Headlamp aim out of spec and transmission belt, chain round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 9,733, 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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Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
64 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
34 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
30 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
29 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
28 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
Brake efficiency below minimum requirement
25 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A headlamp missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
23 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Rear registration plate lamp does not illuminate simultaneously with the position lamps
20 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
14 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
14 occurrences · 0.6% 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
£78–£210
If every one of this YS 125'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.9-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Yamaha YS 125 makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
76.0%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 76.0% — a 2.9-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, excessively loose — 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
73.1%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 76.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: too low, inoperative in the case of a single…, and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 13,163 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (76.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.1% pass). That's a 2.9-point spread across 610 older tests and 1,529 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.
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
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Click Mechanic · affiliate
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.
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 YS 125 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.
