Malaguti Drakon vs Piaggio NRG

The Piaggio NRG passes its MOT first time more often than the Malaguti Drakon: 65.5% vs 58.1%, a 7.4-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Malaguti Drakon	Piaggio NRG
First-time pass rate	58.1%	65.5%
Outright fail rate	31.9%	27.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-14.2 pts	-6.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#5273 of 5428	#4992 of 5428
Median miles at test	4,990	9,874
MOT tests analysed	332	40,458
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	Malaguti Drakon	Piaggio NRG
2009	52.6%	62.2%
2010	59.1%	63.2%
2011	52.5%	63.9%
2012	56.3%	63.4%
2014	46.7%	67.4%

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	Malaguti Drakon	Piaggio NRG
0k-10k miles	63.8%	71.3%
10k-20k miles	50.0%	60.6%

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

MALAGUTI DRAKON 58.1% pass · 332 tests PIAGGIO NRG 65.5% pass · 40.5k tests

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