Morgan Plus 4: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Morgan Plus 4 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 14.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,417 individual Morgan Plus 4 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 91.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 9 in every 100 Morgan Plus 4s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Morgan Plus 4 tested had covered 22,297 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Morgan Plus 4 sits 14.4 points above the national average, ranked 526 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Morgan Plus 4 rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Morgan Plus 4s at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Morgan Plus 4

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.1% of tests (3.2x the national rate for this defect)
2. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.7% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this defect)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.1% of tests
4. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1% of tests (2.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 1% of tests (1.89x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.8% of tests
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.8% of tests
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.7% of tests
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 0.6% of tests
10. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.6% of tests (3.06x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,415 DVSA-tracked Morgan Plus 4 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.26% of these flagged Morgan Plus 4 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Morgan Plus 4

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Morgan Plus 4 before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 2.7% of tests (4.14x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 4.1% of tests
3. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 3.3% of tests
4. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.5% of tests
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2% of tests, also fails
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.4% of tests
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.4% of tests
8. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 1.1% of tests
9. A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn, 0.8% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.7% of tests

From 1,415 DVSA-tracked Morgan Plus 4 tests, 2024.

Other Morgan models

• Morgan 4/4 - 89.3%
• Morgan Plus 8 - 88.3%
• Morgan Roadster - 92.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot 2008 GT Puretech S/S - 91.1%
• Renault Zoe GT Line Rapid Charge Ev 50 - 91.1%
• BMW X1 Xdrive25e M Sport Auto - 91.1%
• Vauxhall Grandland X Business Ed Nav T - 91.1%
• Hyundai I20 Element T-Gdi - 91.1%
• Ford Fiesta Vignale Edition Turbo - 91.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

Run a site about the Morgan Plus 4? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/morgan-plus-4"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/morgan-plus-4.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Morgan Plus 4 MOT Pass Rate: 91.1% - Salvage Prophet"></a>

Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Morgan Plus 4's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/morgan-plus-4"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/failure/morgan-plus-4.svg" width="340" height="106" alt="Morgan Plus 4 most common MOT failure: Emissions levels exceed default limits (1.1% of tests) - Salvage Prophet"></a>

All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate