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1978 BMW Unclassified — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age

48 years
Current Age
91.3%
Latest Pass Rate
886
Total Tests (All Years)
31,939 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1978 BMW Unclassified as it ages.

31 yrs86.0%
32 yrs84.2%
33 yrs85.0%
34 yrs86.5%
35 yrs89.3%
36 yrs91.9%
37 yrs87.2%
38 yrs84.8%
39 yrs88.0%
40 yrs91.3%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 31 to 40 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
31 yrs86.0%107
32 yrs84.2%101
33 yrs85.0%100
34 yrs86.5%89
35 yrs89.3%75
36 yrs91.9%62
37 yrs87.2%78
38 yrs84.8%105
39 yrs88.0%100
40 yrs91.3%69

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1978 BMW Unclassified pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 10 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2018 (40 yrs)91.3%69
2017 (39 yrs)88%100
2016 (38 yrs)84.8%105
2015 (37 yrs)87.2%78
2014 (36 yrs)91.9%62
2013 (35 yrs)89.3%75
2012 (34 yrs)86.5%89
2011 (33 yrs)85%100
2010 (32 yrs)84.2%101
2009 (31 yrs)86%107

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
86.0%
Age (yrs) 31Tests 107Avg Mileage 42,728Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.3%
2010
84.2%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 101Avg Mileage 39,866Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 7.9%
2011
85.0%
Age (yrs) 33Tests 100Avg Mileage 41,583Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 9.0%
2012
86.5%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 89Avg Mileage 40,553Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 4.5%
2013
89.3%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 75Avg Mileage 40,101Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.0%
2014
91.9%
Age (yrs) 36Tests 62Avg Mileage 39,640Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 6.5%
2015
87.2%
Age (yrs) 37Tests 78Avg Mileage 36,452Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 9.0%
2016
84.8%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 105Avg Mileage 36,399Top Failure Motorcycle steering and suspension — 9.5%
2017
88.0%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 100Avg Mileage 34,749Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 11.0%
2018
91.3%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 69Avg Mileage 31,939Top Failure Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 4.3%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1978 BMW Unclassified, with age trends.

Motorcycle lighting and signalling
8.3%
— Consistent
Motorcycle steering and suspension
5.0%
— Consistent
Motorcycle lamps and reflectors
4.3%
— Consistent
Motorcycle brakes
3.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Motorcycle driving controls
3.0%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Motorcycle brakes4.7% (31 yrs)1.4% (40 yrs)
-3.3%
🟢 ↓
Motorcycle steering and suspension3.7% (31 yrs)2.9% (40 yrs)
-0.8%
⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW Unclassified page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW Unclassified cars manufactured in 1978 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2018, covering 886 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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