Talbot Express: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Talbot Express fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 18.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,067 individual Talbot Express tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 58.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 42 in every 100 Talbot Express presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Talbot Express tested had covered 82,714 miles and was built around 1991.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Talbot Express sits 18.4 points below the national average, ranked 1,971 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

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 Talbot Express 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 Talbot Express at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Talbot Express

1. Lamp not securely attached, 4.1% of tests (25.47x the national rate for this defect)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 15% of tests (15.85x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 6.3% of tests (15.2x the national rate for this defect)
4. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 8.8% of tests (13.41x 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., 4.4% of tests (8.47x the national rate for this defect)
6. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 9.5% of tests (7.72x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 9.9% of tests (6.45x the national rate for this defect)
8. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 6.4% of tests (6.35x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 13.8% of tests (5.87x the national rate for this defect)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 5.2% of tests (5.04x the national rate for this defect)

From 4,090 DVSA-tracked Talbot Express tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.92% of these flagged Talbot Express defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Talbot Express

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 Talbot Express before it actually fails on it.

1. A wheel bearing with excessive play, 28.2% of tests (43.51x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 13.8% of tests (11.12x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 14.5% of tests (9.57x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 13.6% of tests (4.79x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 3.8% of tests (4.5x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 5.4% of tests (4.21x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 23.8% of tests (3.84x 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, 19.6% of tests (3.52x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 4.4% of tests (3.32x the national rate for this advisory)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 5.3% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this advisory), also fails

From 4,090 DVSA-tracked Talbot Express tests, 2024.

Talbot Express pass rate by model year

From its 1990 to its 1994 model year, the Talbot Express's first-time pass rate has fallen 0.5 points, from 60.8% to 60.3%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Talbot Express year:

• 1990 Talbot Express - 60.8% first-time pass, 543 tests
• 1991 Talbot Express - 58.7% first-time pass, 707 tests
• 1992 Talbot Express - 59.3% first-time pass, 732 tests
• 1993 Talbot Express - 57.7% first-time pass, 766 tests
• 1994 Talbot Express - 60.3% first-time pass, 537 tests

Talbot Express by fuel type

The Talbot Express's two most-tested fuel types split by 1.9 points: petrol passes first time 58.4% of the time (2,016 tests) against 60.3% for diesel (1,958 tests).

• Petrol Talbot Express - 58.4% first-time pass, 2,016 tests
• Diesel Talbot Express - 60.3% first-time pass, 1,958 tests

Models with a similar pass rate

• Renault G - 58.5%
• Fiat Scudo - 58.3%
• Chevrolet Captiva - 58.3%
• Chrysler Voyager - 58.2%
• Mazda Bongo - 58.1%
• Vauxhall Tigra - 58.1%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate