Piaggio VESPA 79-210cc MOT pass rate and common failures
Piaggio VESPA 79-210cc motorcycles pass the MOT 85.42% of the time, measured across 8,363 tests in the DVSA record. A further 5.44% passed only after a defect was put right at the test station.
Calculated from DVSA records for Piaggio VESPA, 79-210cc.
What to check before the MOT
Built from this model's own failure record, not general advice.
- Start with not working - it accounts for 39.5% of failed tests on this model.
- Then check tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm and not working on dipped beam, the next two most common reasons.
- Age matters here: 90.78% of 3-5 year old examples pass, against 83.45% at 16+ years - a gap of 7.3 points.
- The most common advisory is tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm (5.4% of all tests) - not a failure, but money you will spend sooner or later.
- Average recorded mileage at test is 11,710 miles, which is the number to compare any advert against.
Pass rate by age
A single pass rate hides the most useful thing in this data: how the same model behaves at three years old and at fifteen.
| Age at test | Pass rate | Tests | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 90.78% | 553 | |
| 6-10 years | 87.39% | 2,966 | |
| 11-15 years | 83.83% | 2,029 | |
| 16+ years | 83.45% | 2,815 |
Why the Piaggio VESPA 79-210cc fails
Share of failed tests on this model where the item was recorded. One test can fail on several items, so the column does not add up to 100%.
| # | Item | Of failures | Tests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not working | 39.5% | 302 | |
| 2 | Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm | 28.5% | 218 | |
| 3 | Not working on dipped beam | 18.1% | 138 | |
| 4 | Not working on main beam | 10.7% | 82 | |
| 5 | Too low | 8.5% | 65 | |
| 6 | Inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | 8.1% | 62 | |
| 7 | Excessively binding | 6.9% | 53 | |
| 8 | Too high | 6.8% | 52 | |
| 9 | Does not illuminate simultaneously with the position lamp(s) | 6.3% | 48 | |
| 10 | Remains on when the brakes are released | 6.3% | 48 |
Most common advisories
Not a failure and not a legal requirement to fix - but an advisory that repeats year after year is money the next owner spends.
| # | Item | Of all tests | Tests | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm | 5.4% | 455 | |
| 2 | Has excessive play | 3.1% | 259 | |
| 3 | Corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced | 2.5% | 205 | |
| 4 | Excessively stiff or notchy | 1.6% | 133 | |
| 5 | Indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort | 1.4% | 116 | |
| 6 | Less than 1.0 mm thick | 1.3% | 109 | |
| 7 | Excessively binding | 1.2% | 101 | |
| 8 | Tread not clearly visible | 1.2% | 99 | |
| 9 | Has negligible damping effect | 1.2% | 98 | |
| 10 | Noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition | 1.1% | 92 |
Piaggio VESPA 79-210cc for sale
No Piaggio VESPA 79-210cc in stock at the moment - 7 other Piaggio bikes are advertised.
Similar bikes compared
Models of comparable capacity, so the comparison means something.
| Model | Tests | Pass rate | Avg mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha GPD125-A NMAX 125 · 125cc | 8,762 | 80.8% | 45,039 | |
| Honda WW · 125cc | 7,252 | 80.32% | 40,134 | |
| Honda WW 125 A-M · 125cc | 5,011 | 84.06% | 29,846 | |
| Honda GLR · 125cc | 4,737 | 79.99% | 14,642 | |
| Yamaha YBR 125 · 124cc | 3,496 | 69.54% | 18,629 | |
| Honda CBF 100-125cc · 100-125cc | 3,204 | 77% | 15,203 |
Source: DVSA MOT testing data, 2025 · updated Aug 2026 · licence and method