Kymco K vs Piaggio Zip

The Piaggio Zip passes its MOT first time more often than the Kymco K: 71.3% vs 67.5%, a 3.8-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Kymco K	Piaggio Zip
First-time pass rate	67.5%	71.3%
Outright fail rate	20.5%	20.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-6.0 pts	-1.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#4885 of 5428	#4631 of 5428
Median miles at test	5,403	8,882
MOT tests analysed	375	78,993
Most common failure	lamps and reflectors	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	Kymco K	Piaggio Zip
2017	72.7%	71.7%
2018	69.8%	72.9%
2019	68.9%	73.0%
2020	61.2%	73.1%
2021	68.3%	73.3%
2022	73.3%	74.5%

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	Kymco K	Piaggio Zip
0k-10k miles	70.3%	75.2%
10k-20k miles	59.0%	66.7%

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

KYMCO K 67.5% pass · 375 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.