Know Your MOT
28.1%fail rate

Trabant 1.1 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Trabant 1.1 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 167 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 28.1% of MOT tests recorded on the Trabant 1.1 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 61.7% of the Trabant 1.1's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, seat belts, suspension. 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 & electrical61.7% 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.

Brakes55.3% 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.

Seat belts29.8% of failures

Seat-belt failures are frays, cuts, corroded anchorages, or a belt that will not lock under a sharp pull or retract properly.

Suspension27.7% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Other25.5% of failures

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

Visibility/wipers21.3% 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.

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: Trabant 1.1 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Trabant 1.1 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Trabant 1.1 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Trabant 1.1 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Trabant 1.1 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Trabant 1.1 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the seat belts failure: Trabant 1.1 seat beltsSearch Amazon for Trabant 1.1 seat beltsaffiliate searchFind Trabant 1.1 seat belts on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Trabant 1.1 suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Trabant 1.1 suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Trabant 1.1 suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Trabant 1.1 wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Trabant 1.1 wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Trabant 1.1 wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Trabant P601 MOT failures26.0% failure rateTrabant 601 MOT failures22.8% failure rateTrabant 601s MOT failures19.0% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

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