Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025
Kawasaki EN500: MOT pass rate by registration year
Which EN500 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 78.6% average, from 6,448 DVSA tests.
Pass rate by registration year
Highest pass rate: 2003 (84.7% of 98 tests). Lowest: 1992 (76.4% of 746). Years more than two points below the model average: 1992.
| Registered | Tests | First-time pass | vs model (78.6%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 960 | 79.5% | +0.9 pp |
| 1991 | 1,122 | 77.6% | -1.0 pp |
| 1992 | 746 | 76.4% | -2.2 pp |
| 1993 | 671 | 78.7% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 524 | 78.4% | -0.2 pp |
| 1995 | 453 | 77.9% | -0.7 pp |
| 1996 | 369 | 78.0% | -0.6 pp |
| 1997 | 547 | 77.0% | -1.6 pp |
| 1998 | 329 | 81.8% | +3.2 pp |
| 1999 | 231 | 84.0% | +5.4 pp |
| 2000 | 103 | 84.5% | +5.9 pp |
| 2002 | 119 | 79.8% | +1.2 pp |
| 2003 | 98 | 84.7% | +6.1 pp |
Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years. A first-time MOT pass is a roadworthiness check, not a full mechanical inspection.
Pass rate over time
Questions
- Which EN500 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
- 1992 registered examples pass first time less often than the Kawasaki EN500 overall (78.6%); the 1992 cohort is lowest at 76.4% from 746 tests.
- Which EN500 year has the highest MOT pass rate?
- 2003, at 84.7% of 98 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003.
- How much does the EN500 pass rate vary by year?
- 8.3 percentage points between the highest (2003, 84.7%) and lowest (1992, 76.4%) cohorts with at least 50 tests. Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.
Full report: Kawasaki EN500 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3832 of 5428 models· other Kawasaki models: ZX-6R, ZX-9R, ZZR600, ER5, ZZ-R1100, ZX