Free motorcycle reliability API

Basics

• Base URL: https://bikereliability.co.uk/api/v1
• Format: JSON over HTTPS, GET only. CORS is open — call it straight from a browser.
• Envelope: every response carries dataset, licence, source, attribution and period, and every record links back to its page here.
• Limits: keyless up to 50 requests/day per IP (enough to try it); a free API key lifts it to thousands/day. Responses carry Cache-Control — please cache (the stats change with each annual DVSA release); over the daily limit the API returns 429.
• OpenAPI spec: /api/v1/openapi.json — generate a typed SDK, import into Postman, or point an AI agent at it.

Endpoints

• GET /api/v1/makes — the make league table, ranked by pass rate. Try it.
• GET /api/v1/makes/{slug} — one make: pass rate, rank, common failure areas, and all its models. /api/v1/makes/honda
• GET /api/v1/models/{make}/{model} — one model: pass rate, ranks (overall / within make / by type), common failures, median mileage. /api/v1/models/honda/cbr600f

Get a free API key

The API is free. Keyless calls are capped at 50/day per IP so anyone can try it; a key lifts that to thousands a day. The only condition: show a visible dofollow link back to bikereliability.co.uk on the site or app that uses the data, and keep it there. Request a key here — tell us your site URL, the page that shows the credit link, and a line on what you're building; we verify the link and email you the key. Send it in the X-Api-Key header on every request.

Embed a reliability card

Any make or model page has an "Embed this" box — paste the snippet and you get a live reliability card on your own site or blog (it links back here). Powered by /embed.js.

Terms & attribution

Source data: DVSA anonymised MOT results, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our derived statistics are CC BY 4.0 — credit "Bike Reliability" and link to bikereliability.co.uk. It's free; the link is how we keep it that way. No warranty — see the methodology for what the numbers can and can't tell you.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free motorcycle reliability API?

Yes. Bike Reliability provides a free, read-only JSON API covering every UK motorcycle make and model, ranked by real first-time MOT pass rates from 18,678,991 DVSA tests (2005–2025). It stays free: light use (up to 50 requests a day) needs no key, and a free API key lifts that limit for the price of a visible link back. CORS is open.

How do I get the reliability of a specific bike?

Call GET /api/v1/models/{make}/{model} — e.g. /api/v1/models/honda/cbr600f — for its pass rate, advisory and fail percentages, rank overall and within its make, and its most common failure areas.

Where does the data come from?

The DVSA anonymised MOT results dataset (every MOT test in Great Britain), filtered to motorcycle classes 1 and 2. Source data is Open Government Licence v3.0; our derived statistics are CC BY 4.0.

Do I need an API key, and is there a rate limit?

You can try the API with no key, up to 50 requests per day per IP. For more, get a free API key: it lifts the daily limit into the thousands. The only condition is a visible dofollow link back to bikereliability.co.uk. Request one using the form at bikereliability.co.uk/api-access, then send the key in the X-Api-Key header. Responses carry Cache-Control headers, so please cache them — the statistics only change with each annual DVSA release.

Can I use the data on my own site, app or video?

Yes — it's free for apps, research, journalism and content. Please credit "Bike Reliability" and link back to bikereliability.co.uk.