Yamaha WR250F MOT pass rate and common failures
Yamaha WR250F motorcycles pass the MOT 81.9% of the time, measured across 464 tests in the DVSA record. A further 7.76% passed only after a defect was put right at the test station.
What to check before the MOT
Built from this model's own failure record, not general advice.
- Start with not working - it accounts for 60.4% of failed tests on this model.
- Then check missing and does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls, the next two most common reasons.
- Age matters here: 85.53% of 3-5 year old examples pass, against 80.07% at 16+ years - a gap of 5.5 points.
- The most common advisory is has excessive play (5% of all tests) - not a failure, but money you will spend sooner or later.
- Average recorded mileage at test is 5,082 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 | 85.53% | 76 | |
| 11-15 years | 86.84% | 38 | |
| 16+ years | 80.07% | 306 |
Why the Yamaha WR250F 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 | 60.4% | 29 | |
| 2 | Missing | 37.5% | 18 | |
| 3 | Does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls | 20.8% | 10 | |
| 4 | Does not conform to the specified requirements | 16.7% | 8 | |
| 5 | Has excessive play | 16.7% | 8 | |
| 6 | Has a serious fluid leak | 14.6% | 7 | |
| 7 | Rough when rotated | 12.5% | 6 | |
| 8 | Missing in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | 8.3% | 4 | |
| 9 | Not working on dipped beam | 8.3% | 4 | |
| 10 | Not working on main beam | 6.3% | 3 |
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 | Has excessive play | 5% | 23 | |
| 2 | Has a serious fluid leak | 4.3% | 20 | |
| 3 | Noise is clearly in excess of that emitted by a similar motorcycle fitted with a standard silencer in average condition | 3.9% | 18 | |
| 4 | Worn to excess | 3.4% | 16 | |
| 5 | Less than 1.0 mm thick | 3% | 14 | |
| 6 | Chain guard missing | 2.8% | 13 | |
| 7 | Significantly and obviously worn | 2.2% | 10 | |
| 8 | Has an excessively worn bush | 1.3% | 6 | |
| 9 | Excessively binding | 1.1% | 5 | |
| 10 | Sprocket worn to excess | 1.1% | 5 |
Yamaha WR250F for sale
1 Yamaha WR250F adverts on MotoDealers UK right now, 87 Yamaha in total.
Similar bikes compared
Models of comparable capacity, so the comparison means something.
| Model | Tests | Pass rate | Avg mileage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piaggio VESPA GTS · 240-300cc | 4,305 | 92.15% | 9,875 | |
| Honda CRF 220-250cc · 220-250cc | 2,452 | 89.76% | 7,549 | |
| 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 | |
| Piaggio VESPA GTS 300 SUPER · 277cc | 914 | 93.76% | 12,292 |
Source: DVSA MOT testing data, 2025 · updated Aug 2026 · licence and method