Piaggio VESPA GTS MOT pass rate and common failures

Piaggio VESPA GTS motorcycles pass the MOT 92.15% of the time, measured across 4,305 tests in the DVSA record. A further 3.04% passed only after a defect was put right at the test station.

Calculated from DVSA records for Piaggio VESPA, 240-300cc.

Better than average: 5.3 points above the 86.87% figure for all motorcycles tested.
Pass rate 92.15% 3,967 of 4,305
Fixed at the station 3.04% passed after an on-the-spot repair
Average mileage at test 9,875 miles
Average age at test 9.4 years old
Engine 276cc MOT class 1 and 2
For sale now 3 Piaggio VESPA GTS adverts

What to check before the MOT

Built from this model's own failure record, not general advice.

  • Start with tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm - it accounts for 32.4% of failed tests on this model.
  • Then check not working and not working on dipped beam, the next two most common reasons.
  • Age matters here: 95.23% of 3-5 year old examples pass, against 88.37% at 16+ years - a gap of 6.9 points.
  • The most common advisory is tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm (4.7% of all tests) - not a failure, but money you will spend sooner or later.
  • Average recorded mileage at test is 9,875 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 95.23% 629
6-10 years 92.71% 2,591
11-15 years 89.36% 724
16+ years 88.37% 361

Why the Piaggio VESPA GTS 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 Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm 32.4% 67
2 Not working 26.6% 55
3 Not working on dipped beam 15.5% 32
4 Has a major leak of exhaust gases 12.1% 25
5 Too low 11.1% 23
6 Does not conform to the specified requirements 9.7% 20
7 Missing 8.7% 18
8 Less than 1.0 mm thick 8.2% 17
9 Remains on when the brakes are released 6.3% 13
10 Not working on main beam 5.8% 12

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 4.7% 202
2 Noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition 3.2% 136
3 Has excessive play 1.7% 73
4 Has a major leak of exhaust gases 1.6% 68
5 Less than 1.0 mm thick 1.5% 65
6 Corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced 1.5% 64
7 Tread not clearly visible 0.9% 40
8 Has negligible damping effect 0.8% 36
9 Excessively stiff or notchy 0.7% 31
10 Indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort 0.7% 29

Piaggio VESPA GTS for sale

3 Piaggio VESPA GTS adverts on MotoDealers UK right now, 7 Piaggio in total.

Similar bikes compared

Models of comparable capacity, so the comparison means something.

Model Tests Pass rate   Avg mileage
Honda CRF 220-250cc · 220-250cc 2,452 89.76% 7,549
Royal Enfield METEOR 350 · 349cc 2,133 93.95% 4,543
Honda NSS 250-297cc · 250-297cc 1,397 90.34% 17,407
Honda CRF 300 LA-M · 286cc 1,297 88.43% 3,963
BMW G310 · 313cc 1,129 90.79% 7,243
Royal Enfield CLASSIC 350 · 349cc 920 93.8% 3,759

Source: DVSA MOT testing data, 2025 · updated Aug 2026 · licence and method

Piaggio VESPA GTS MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for the Piaggio VESPA GTS?+
92.15% of Piaggio VESPA GTS MOT tests end in a pass, based on 4,305 tests in the DVSA dataset.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Piaggio VESPA GTS?+
Tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, which appears in 32.4% of failed tests on this model.
Does the Piaggio VESPA GTS get harder to pass as it ages?+
At 16+ years old the pass rate is 88.37%, against 95.23% for examples 3-5 years old.
Where does this data come from?+
From the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, which records every MOT carried out in England, Scotland and Wales. It is published under the Open Government Licence and covers 2025.
Does a high pass rate mean the bike is reliable?+
Not by itself. The MOT checks safety items - brakes, tyres, lights, structure - and says nothing about engines, gearboxes or electrics. Read it as a maintenance signal, not a reliability score.
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