BIKERELIABILITY Reg check
League table/ NORTON/ COMMANDO/By year
Registration-year report · 2005–2025

Data as of: DVSA MOT results to 2025

Norton Commando: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which Commando years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 90.8% average, from 12,316 DVSA tests.

2011
highest-passing year · 98.2%
1969
lowest-passing year · 87.6%
10.6pp
spread across 18 years

Pass rate by registration year

first-time pass rate · cohorts with 50 or more tests · registration year from first use date

Highest pass rate: 2011 (98.2% of 56 tests). Lowest: 1969 (87.6% of 354). Years more than two points below the model average: 1969, 2013.

85%93%100%1968: 90.6% pass (149 tests)1969: 87.6% pass (354 tests)1970: 89.7% pass (358 tests)1971: 90.4% pass (3,727 tests)1972: 89.8% pass (888 tests)1973: 91.3% pass (1,035 tests)1974: 92.1% pass (1,141 tests)1975: 91.0% pass (1,299 tests)1976: 90.6% pass (1,171 tests)1977: 90.4% pass (783 tests)1978: 91.8% pass (281 tests)2010: 92.2% pass (90 tests)2011: 98.2% pass (56 tests)2013: 87.7% pass (57 tests)2014: 89.4% pass (199 tests)2015: 91.3% pass (160 tests)2016: 89.9% pass (138 tests)2017: 97.3% pass (73 tests)196819772017
RegisteredTestsFirst-time passvs model (90.8%)
1968 149 90.6% -0.2 pp
1969 354 87.6% -3.2 pp
1970 358 89.7% -1.1 pp
1971 3,727 90.4% -0.4 pp
1972 888 89.8% -1.0 pp
1973 1,035 91.3% +0.5 pp
1974 1,141 92.1% +1.3 pp
1975 1,299 91.0% +0.2 pp
1976 1,171 90.6% -0.2 pp
1977 783 90.4% -0.4 pp
1978 281 91.8% +1.0 pp
2010 90 92.2% +1.4 pp
2011 56 98.2% +7.4 pp
2013 57 87.7% -3.1 pp
2014 199 89.4% -1.4 pp
2015 160 91.3% +0.5 pp
2016 138 89.9% -0.9 pp
2017 73 97.3% +6.5 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

first-time pass rate by test year · 2005–2025
86%92%98%2005: 89.9% pass (179 tests)2006: 91.8% pass (942 tests)2007: 91.3% pass (847 tests)2008: 89.9% pass (867 tests)2009: 91.2% pass (887 tests)2010: 88.3% pass (861 tests)2011: 88.4% pass (863 tests)2012: 91.2% pass (852 tests)2013: 91.4% pass (916 tests)2014: 91.1% pass (955 tests)2015: 90.3% pass (936 tests)2016: 90.4% pass (917 tests)2017: 92.8% pass (948 tests)2018: 91.6% pass (347 tests)2019: 89.7% pass (174 tests)2020: 89.1% pass (138 tests)2021: 90.4% pass (167 tests)2022: 92.7% pass (164 tests)2023: 89.3% pass (131 tests)2024: 94.2% pass (103 tests)2025: 95.9% pass (122 tests)20052025

Questions

Which Commando years have the lowest MOT pass rate?
1969, 2013 registered examples pass first time less often than the Norton Commando overall (90.8%); the 1969 cohort is lowest at 87.6% from 354 tests.
Which Commando year has the highest MOT pass rate?
2011, at 98.2% of 56 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 2011, 2017.
How much does the Commando pass rate vary by year?
10.6 percentage points between the highest (2011, 98.2%) and lowest (1969, 87.6%) 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: Norton Commando reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #727 of 5428 models· other Norton models: Dominator, ES2, Commander, Triton, Atlas, 650SS