Generic Race 50 vs Piaggio Zip

The Piaggio Zip passes its MOT first time more often than the Generic Race 50: 71.3% vs 66.8%, a 4.5-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Generic Race 50	Piaggio Zip
First-time pass rate	66.8%	71.3%
Outright fail rate	24.7%	20.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-5.7 pts	-1.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#4916 of 5428	#4631 of 5428
Median miles at test	9,339	8,882
MOT tests analysed	340	78,993
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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	Generic Race 50	Piaggio Zip
2013	69.8%	69.7%
2014	63.2%	68.8%
2015	71.7%	69.8%
2016	62.7%	71.0%

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

Pass rate by mileage

first-time MOT pass rate by miles on the clock at test

Mileage	Generic Race 50	Piaggio Zip
0k-10k miles	71.4%	75.2%
10k-20k miles	63.8%	66.7%

Bands with fewer than 30 tests for either bike are left out.

GENERIC RACE 50 66.8% pass · 340 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.