Suzuki GT500: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which GT500 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 87.6% average, from 1,190 DVSA tests.

1977

highest-passing year · 90.3%

1971

lowest-passing year · 75.0%

15.3pp

spread across 5 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: 1977 (90.3% of 536 tests). Lowest: 1971 (75.0% of 64). Years more than two points below the model average: 1971, 1976.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (87.6%)
1971	64	75.0%	-12.6 pp
1975	106	87.7%	+0.1 pp
1976	338	83.4%	-4.2 pp
1977	536	90.3%	+2.7 pp
1978	80	87.5%	-0.1 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

first-time pass rate by test year · 2006–2018

Questions

Which GT500 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1971, 1976 registered examples pass first time less often than the Suzuki GT500 overall (87.6%); the 1971 cohort is lowest at 75.0% from 64 tests.
Which GT500 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1977, at 90.3% of 536 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the GT500 pass rate vary by year?: 15.3 percentage points between the highest (1977, 90.3%) and lowest (1971, 75.0%) 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: Suzuki GT500 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1725 of 5428 models· other Suzuki models: GSXR600, GSF600, GSXR750, GSF1200, GSXR1000, SV650S