LML Star 125 Auto vs Piaggio Vespa

The LML Star 125 Auto passes its MOT first time more often than the Piaggio Vespa: 84.9% vs 80.7%, a 4.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	LML Star 125 Auto	Piaggio Vespa
First-time pass rate	84.9%	80.7%
Outright fail rate	9.0%	12.2%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+9.4 pts	+5.9 pts
Engine size	125cc	124cc
Rank among all models	#2516 of 5428	#3439 of 5428
Median miles at test	5,084	10,023
MOT tests analysed	431	287,482
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	LML Star 125 Auto	Piaggio Vespa
2016	86.2%	79.2%
2017	80.0%	81.0%
2018	90.2%	81.5%
2019	84.4%	82.6%
2020	90.9%	85.6%
2021	79.2%	85.8%
2022	87.1%	86.6%
2023	87.5%	86.5%

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	LML Star 125 Auto	Piaggio Vespa
0k-10k miles	86.0%	85.0%
10k-20k miles	81.4%	77.0%

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

LML STAR 125 AUTO 84.9% pass · 431 tests PIAGGIO VESPA 80.7% pass · 287k tests

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