Chunlan Starway vs Piaggio Zip

The Piaggio Zip passes its MOT first time more often than the Chunlan Starway: 71.3% vs 69.3%, a 2.0-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

first-time pass rate, outright fail rate and tests analysed · 2005–2025

Metric	Chunlan Starway	Piaggio Zip
First-time pass rate	69.3%	71.3%
Outright fail rate	21.1%	20.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-7.4 pts	-1.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#4785 of 5428	#4631 of 5428
Median miles at test	4,532	8,882
MOT tests analysed	261	78,993
Most common failure	steering and suspension	lighting and signalling

First-time outcomes on normal tests, 2005–2025. "Most common failure" is the component group with the most recorded defects on failed tests. Read pass rates against test counts: a smaller sample is noisier. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

"Vs comparable bikes" is the first-time pass rate minus the rate expected for each bike's own mix of age, mileage and test class, in percentage points: positive means better than comparable bikes. How this works.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Chunlan Starway	Piaggio Zip
2006	72.7%	73.7%
2007	70.3%	71.0%
2008	73.3%	72.4%

Each year mixes bikes of different ages, so a fleet that is getting older tends to slip.

CHUNLAN STARWAY 69.3% pass · 261 tests PIAGGIO ZIP 71.3% pass · 79.0k tests

See each bike's full report (trend, mileage curve, failure breakdown and rivals) on its own page.