More motorcycles and scooters are passing the MOT test first time, according to the latest figures from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency). In fact, the failure rate has been dropping since 2013.
DVSA figures show that in April-June 2022, out of over 337,000 tests conducted, the proportion of powered two-wheelers failing first time fell to 14.8%, representing a pass rate of 85.2%. Of the failures, nearly half were due to at least one dangerous fault. Less than one in ten bikes (8.56%) subsequently failed the retest.

All of this represents a significant fall in failures since the 2021-22 annual figures, when a total of 962,802 powered two-wheelers were tested, of which 15.52% failed first time and 9.1% failed the retest as well. This has been a consistent trend since 2013-14, when nearly one in five bikes (19.9%) failed the MOT at first attempt, with 11.9% the retest. Interestingly, bikes have a consistently higher pass rate than any other vehicle group – in April-June 2022, out of over six million car MOTs, 27.54% were first time failures with more than one in five (21.44%) being rejected on the retest as well.

So, are we all getting more conscientious before heading for the MOT test station? Or is it that the MOT exemption for classic machines over 40 years old having an effect?

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, said: “That looks like good news. I’m not sure what the definition of a ‘dangerous ‘ fault is, or if it’s based on subjective opinion by the tester. I’d bet that many of them are tyres and brakes, particularly on smaller ‘commuter scooters’ where maintenance can be a ‘distress purchase’, as it is with many car drivers. ”

Written by Peter Henshaw

Top image courtesy of Codi International