Know Your MOT
8.8%fail rate

Triumph Rocket common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 23,429 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 8.8% of MOT tests recorded on the Triumph Rocket 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 19.2% of the Triumph Rocket's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, tyres, registration plate. 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 & electrical19.2% 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.

Brakes19.0% 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.

Tyres16.8% 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.

Registration plate7.2% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Exhaust & emissions3.7% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Suspension3.3% 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.

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).

200610.6% fail · 1,362 tests
20079.0% fail · 1,140 tests
20087.7% fail · 689 tests
20099.8% fail · 1,088 tests
20108.9% fail · 1,679 tests
20118.4% fail · 1,378 tests
20127.4% fail · 921 tests
20138.7% fail · 1,617 tests
20148.5% fail · 1,460 tests
20158.4% fail · 1,309 tests
20166.9% fail · 684 tests
201713.5% fail · 148 tests
20206.6% fail · 2,649 tests
20215.7% fail · 1,168 tests
20226.2% fail · 465 tests
20237.7% fail · 130 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: Triumph Rocket headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Triumph Rocket brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Triumph Rocket tyresSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket tyresaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Triumph Rocket number plateSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket number plateaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Triumph Rocket exhaustSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket exhaustaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Triumph Rocket suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Triumph Rocket suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Triumph Rocket suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Triumph Bonneville MOT failures9.8% failure rateTriumph Tiger MOT failures9.2% failure rateTriumph Sprint MOT failures12.6% 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