Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert vs Ducati Multistrada

The Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert passes its MOT first time more often than the Ducati Multistrada: 93.7% vs 89.9%, a 3.8-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert	Ducati Multistrada
First-time pass rate	93.7%	89.9%
Outright fail rate	4.6%	5.5%
Vs comparable bikes (age & mileage adjusted)	+5.5 pts	+3.8 pts
Engine size	1,215cc	1,198cc
Median miles at test	7,883	13,468
MOT tests analysed	175	24,822
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	Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert	Ducati Multistrada
2023	93.3%	91.8%
2024	91.8%	90.9%
2025	95.6%	91.0%

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	Triumph Tiger 1200 Desert	Ducati Multistrada
0k-10k miles	93.0%	91.7%
10k-20k miles	95.6%	89.6%

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

TRIUMPH TIGER 1200 DESERT 93.7% pass · 175 tests DUCATI MULTISTRADA 89.9% pass · 24.8k tests

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