Niu N1S vs BMW R1150

The BMW R1150 passes its MOT first time more often than the Niu N1S: 88.5% vs 84.8%, a 3.7-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Niu N1S	BMW R1150
First-time pass rate	84.8%	88.5%
Outright fail rate	14.0%	6.8%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+7.0 pts	+6.7 pts
Engine size	n/a	1,130cc
Rank among all models	#2543 of 5428	#1449 of 5428
Median miles at test	3,002	33,151
MOT tests analysed	250	170,963
Most common failure	brakes	brakes

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	Niu N1S	BMW R1150
2022	88.6%	88.6%
2023	83.9%	89.1%
2024	89.7%	88.1%
2025	80.2%	89.1%

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

NIU N1S 84.8% pass · 250 tests BMW R1150 88.5% pass · 171k tests

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