Niu N1S vs BMW R1200

The BMW R1200 passes its MOT first time more often than the Niu N1S: 92.9% vs 84.8%, a 8.1-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Niu N1S	BMW R1200
First-time pass rate	84.8%	92.9%
Outright fail rate	14.0%	3.7%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+7.0 pts	+8.6 pts
Engine size	n/a	1,170cc
Rank among all models	#2543 of 5428	#315 of 5428
Median miles at test	3,002	20,069
MOT tests analysed	250	299,381
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 R1200
2022	88.6%	93.8%
2023	83.9%	94.1%
2024	89.7%	94.0%
2025	80.2%	94.2%

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 R1200 92.9% pass · 299k tests

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