TGB 303 R Hawk vs Piaggio Zip

The Piaggio Zip passes its MOT first time more often than the TGB 303 R Hawk: 71.3% vs 63.8%, a 7.5-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	TGB 303 R Hawk	Piaggio Zip
First-time pass rate	63.8%	71.3%
Outright fail rate	25.7%	20.4%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	-9.0 pts	-1.0 pts
Engine size	49cc	49cc
Rank among all models	#5070 of 5428	#4631 of 5428
Median miles at test	6,859	8,882
MOT tests analysed	417	78,993
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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	TGB 303 R Hawk	Piaggio Zip
2011	51.4%	69.7%
2012	69.8%	69.1%
2013	58.2%	69.7%
2014	64.7%	68.8%
2015	68.8%	69.8%
2016	63.0%	71.0%
2017	60.0%	71.7%

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	TGB 303 R Hawk	Piaggio Zip
0k-10k miles	67.6%	75.2%
10k-20k miles	52.0%	66.7%

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

TGB 303 R HAWK 63.8% pass · 417 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.