Know Your MOT
12.4%fail rate

Bajaj Unknown common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Bajaj Unknown fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 866 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 12.4% of MOT tests recorded on the Bajaj Unknown in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 29.0% of the Bajaj Unknown's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, visibility/wipers, brakes, tyres. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical29.0% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Visibility/wipers28.0% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Brakes11.2% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Tyres8.4% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Other7.5% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Steering5.6% of failures

Steering faults are typically worn track-rod ends or ball joints, play in the rack, or a split gaiter letting grease out and dirt in. Excessive free play at the wheel fails.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

20159.9% fail · 111 tests
201715.9% fail · 132 tests
201811.4% fail · 149 tests
201912.4% fail · 153 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Bajaj Unknown headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Bajaj Unknown headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Bajaj Unknown headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Bajaj Unknown wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Bajaj Unknown wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Bajaj Unknown wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Bajaj Unknown brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Bajaj Unknown brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Bajaj Unknown brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Bajaj Unknown tyresSearch Amazon for Bajaj Unknown tyresaffiliate searchFind Bajaj Unknown tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Bajaj Unknown steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Bajaj Unknown steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Bajaj Unknown steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Bajaj Chetak MOT failures17.5% failure rateBajaj Classic MOT failures24.5% failure rateBajaj 125 Chetak MOT failures14.3% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain