Taishan Commuter vs Piaggio Zip

The Piaggio Zip passes its MOT first time more often than the Taishan Commuter: 71.3% vs 56.9%, a 14.4-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Taishan Commuter	Piaggio Zip
First-time pass rate	56.9%	71.3%
Outright fail rate	33.2%	20.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-22.0 pts	-1.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#5310 of 5428	#4631 of 5428
Median miles at test	2,046	8,882
MOT tests analysed	325	78,993
Most common failure	steering and suspension	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	Taishan Commuter	Piaggio Zip
2006	53.3%	73.7%
2007	63.8%	71.0%
2008	60.6%	72.4%
2009	56.3%	70.0%
2010	45.7%	70.8%

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

TAISHAN COMMUTER 56.9% pass · 325 tests PIAGGIO ZIP 71.3% pass · 79.0k tests

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