Vespa (douglas) GS160 vs Honda PCX 125

The Vespa (douglas) GS160 passes its MOT first time more often than the Honda PCX 125: 90.3% vs 81.1%, a 9.2-point lead.

MOT reliability, side by side

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

Metric	Vespa (douglas) GS160	Honda PCX 125
First-time pass rate	90.3%	81.1%
Outright fail rate	4.0%	12.9%
Engine size	160cc	125cc
Rank among all models	#854 of 5428	#3358 of 5428
Median miles at test	9,465	16,405
MOT tests analysed	372	88,608
Most common failure	lighting and signalling	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.

Pass rate by test year

first-time MOT pass rate in each calendar year both bikes were tested

Test year	Vespa (douglas) GS160	Honda PCX 125
2013	89.2%	85.2%
2014	85.3%	84.4%
2015	90.3%	83.5%

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	Vespa (douglas) GS160	Honda PCX 125
0k-10k miles	90.9%	88.4%
10k-20k miles	94.4%	79.3%
20k-30k miles	91.7%	78.0%
30k-40k miles	83.9%	77.0%
40k-50k miles	93.5%	74.8%

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

VESPA (DOUGLAS) GS160 90.3% pass · 372 tests HONDA PCX 125 81.1% pass · 88.6k tests

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