Morgan Roadster: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Morgan Roadster passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 15.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 630 individual Morgan Roadster tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 92.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 8 in every 100 Morgan Roadsters 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 Roadster tested had covered 21,493 miles and was built around 2011.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Morgan Roadster sits 15.5 points above the national average, ranked 364 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 Roadster 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 Roadsters at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Morgan Roadster

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.7% of tests (3.62x the national rate for this defect)
2. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.6% of tests (1.29x the national rate for this defect)
3. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.1% of tests
4. 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 (1.82x the national rate for this defect)
5. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 0.8% of tests
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.8% of tests
7. 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, 0.6% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this defect)
8. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.6% of tests (3.43x the national rate for this defect)
9. A tyre valve seriously damaged or misaligned likely to cause sudden deflation of the tyre, 0.6% of tests (22.13x the national rate for this defect)
10. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.5% of tests

From 631 DVSA-tracked Morgan Roadster tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.94% of these flagged Morgan Roadster defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Morgan Roadster

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 Roadster before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 3.5% of tests (5.37x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 4.9% of tests
3. A tyre seriously damaged, 3.5% of tests
4. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 2.7% of tests
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 2.7% of tests
6. A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn, 2.2% of tests (3.46x the national rate for this advisory)
7. A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened, 1.6% of tests (4.13x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 1.4% of tests
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1% of tests
10. A seat belt or flexible stalk damaged, 0.8% of tests (6.66x the national rate for this advisory)

From 631 DVSA-tracked Morgan Roadster tests, 2024.

Other Morgan models

• Morgan 4/4 - 89.3%
• Morgan Plus 4 - 91.1%
• Morgan Plus 8 - 88.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volkswagen T-Cross United Tsi - 92.2%
• BMW M4 Competition Auto - 92.2%
• Audi Q3 S Line Vor 45 Tfsi Quat S-A - 92.2%
• Mercedes-Benz C 200 Amg Line Edition Mhev A - 92.2%
• Peugeot 3008 Allure Prem P-Tech S/S A - 92.2%
• Vauxhall Mokka Ultimate Edition Ev - 92.2%

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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate