SYM Aj vs Piaggio Vespa

The Piaggio Vespa passes its MOT first time more often than the SYM Aj: 80.7% vs 72.8%, a 7.9-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	SYM Aj	Piaggio Vespa
First-time pass rate	72.8%	80.7%
Outright fail rate	14.1%	12.2%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-1.8 pts	+5.9 pts
Engine size	125cc	124cc
Rank among all models	#4514 of 5428	#3439 of 5428
Median miles at test	6,336	10,023
MOT tests analysed	320	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	SYM Aj	Piaggio Vespa
2017	82.4%	81.0%
2018	68.4%	81.5%
2019	73.9%	82.6%
2020	79.5%	85.6%
2021	70.5%	85.8%
2022	66.7%	86.6%
2023	68.8%	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	SYM Aj	Piaggio Vespa
0k-10k miles	75.3%	85.0%
10k-20k miles	69.6%	77.0%

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

SYM AJ 72.8% pass · 320 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.