Know Your MOT

MOT failure rate and common problems for the Harley-Davidson Mt500, and how to check your own car by registration.

Updated 05 September 2026.

26.0%fail rate

Harley-Davidson Mt500 MOT failure rate

What a Harley-Davidson Mt500 fails its MOT on, and the part that fixes each.

What it fails on, and why

Other23.1% of failures

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

Lamps & electrical15.4% 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.

Brakes15.4% 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.

Steering7.7% 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.

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. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Harley-Davidson Mt500 headlight and indicator bulbsShop Harley-Davidson Mt500 headlight and indicator bulbs on AmazonaffiliateFind Harley-Davidson Mt500 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Harley-Davidson Mt500 brake pads and discsShop Harley-Davidson Mt500 brake pads and discs on AmazonaffiliateFind Harley-Davidson Mt500 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Harley-Davidson Mt500 steering track rod endsShop Harley-Davidson Mt500 steering track rod ends on AmazonaffiliateFind Harley-Davidson Mt500 steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate

Other models

All Harley-Davidson models MOT failure rates comparedRanked worst to bestHarley-Davidson Xl MOT failures10.1% failure rateHarley-Davidson Xlh MOT failures11.4% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Questions and answers

What is the MOT failure rate of the Harley-Davidson Mt500?

It fails 26.0% of its MOT tests across the DVSA record, from 50 tests.

What do these cars fail their MOT on most?

The most common failure area is other, at 23.1% of this model's failures.