Peugeot Vivacity 3 125 vs Piaggio Vespa

The Piaggio Vespa passes its MOT first time more often than the Peugeot Vivacity 3 125: 80.7% vs 68.9%, a 11.8-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Peugeot Vivacity 3 125	Piaggio Vespa
First-time pass rate	68.9%	80.7%
Outright fail rate	22.4%	12.2%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-4.0 pts	+5.9 pts
Engine size	124cc	124cc
Rank among all models	#4803 of 5428	#3439 of 5428
Median miles at test	7,315	10,023
MOT tests analysed	456	287,482
Most common failure	brakes	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	Peugeot Vivacity 3 125	Piaggio Vespa
2014	74.6%	76.6%
2015	69.6%	78.4%
2016	64.2%	79.2%
2017	70.7%	81.0%
2018	71.7%	81.5%
2019	60.0%	82.6%

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	Peugeot Vivacity 3 125	Piaggio Vespa
0k-10k miles	73.0%	85.0%
10k-20k miles	57.9%	77.0%

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

PEUGEOT VIVACITY 3 125 68.9% pass · 456 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.