1981 BMW Unclassified — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years

Current Age

87.3%

Latest Pass Rate

1,045

Total Tests (All Years)

33,326 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 1981 BMW Unclassified as it ages.

28 yrs84.9%

→ ↑3.2%

29 yrs88.1%

→ ↑1.3%

30 yrs89.4%

→ ↓7.3%

31 yrs82.1%

→ ↓1.8%

32 yrs80.3%

→ ↑0.3%

33 yrs80.6%

→ ↑9.1%

34 yrs89.7%

→ ↓9.7%

35 yrs80.0%

→ ↑3.9%

36 yrs83.9%

→ ↓0.3%

37 yrs83.6%

→ ↑1.5%

38 yrs85.1%

→ ↑10.4%

39 yrs95.5%

→ ↓8.2%

40 yrs87.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
28 yrs	84.9%	106
29 yrs	88.1%	109
30 yrs	89.4%	104
31 yrs	82.1%	78
32 yrs	80.3%	76
33 yrs	80.6%	62
34 yrs	89.7%	68
35 yrs	80.0%	85
36 yrs	83.9%	87
37 yrs	83.6%	67
38 yrs	85.1%	74
39 yrs	95.5%	66
40 yrs	87.3%	63

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1981 BMW Unclassified pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2021 (40 yrs)	87.3%	63
2020 (39 yrs)	95.5%	66
2019 (38 yrs)	85.1%	74
2018 (37 yrs)	83.6%	67
2017 (36 yrs)	83.9%	87
2016 (35 yrs)	80%	85
2015 (34 yrs)	89.7%	68
2014 (33 yrs)	80.6%	62
2013 (32 yrs)	80.3%	76
2012 (31 yrs)	82.1%	78
2011 (30 yrs)	89.4%	104
2010 (29 yrs)	88.1%	109
2009 (28 yrs)	84.9%	106

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

84.9%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 106Avg Mileage 41,700Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 6.6%

2010

88.1%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 109Avg Mileage 42,487Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 8.3%

2011

89.4%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 104Avg Mileage 41,696Top Failure Motorcycle brakes — 5.8%

2012

82.1%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 78Avg Mileage 39,878Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 7.7%

2013

80.3%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 76Avg Mileage 37,262Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 15.8%

2014

80.6%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 62Avg Mileage 40,604Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.9%

2015

89.7%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 68Avg Mileage 38,849Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 13.2%

2016

80.0%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 85Avg Mileage 36,530Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.9%

2017

83.9%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 87Avg Mileage 42,879Top Failure Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.3%

2018

83.6%

Age (yrs) 37Tests 67Avg Mileage 35,279Top Failure Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 16.4%

2019

85.1%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 74Avg Mileage 34,757Top Failure Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 20.3%

2020

95.5%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 66Avg Mileage 39,938Top Failure Motorcycle audible warning (Horn) — 3.0%

2021

87.3%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 63Avg Mileage 33,326Top Failure Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 11.1%

MOT results for 1981 BMW Unclassified by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	28	84.9%	106	41,700	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 6.6%
2010	29	88.1%	109	42,487	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 8.3%
2011	30	89.4%	104	41,696	Motorcycle brakes — 5.8%
2012	31	82.1%	78	39,878	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 7.7%
2013	32	80.3%	76	37,262	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 15.8%
2014	33	80.6%	62	40,604	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.9%
2015	34	89.7%	68	38,849	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 13.2%
2016	35	80.0%	85	36,530	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 12.9%
2017	36	83.9%	87	42,879	Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 10.3%
2018	37	83.6%	67	35,279	Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 16.4%
2019	38	85.1%	74	34,757	Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 20.3%
2020	39	95.5%	66	39,938	Motorcycle audible warning (Horn) — 3.0%
2021	40	87.3%	63	33,326	Motorcycle lamps and reflectors — 11.1%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 BMW Unclassified, with age trends.

Motorcycle lamps and reflectors

12.3%

↓ Decreases with age

Motorcycle lighting and signalling

10.4%

↑ Increases with age

Motorcycle steering and suspension

6.3%

↓ Decreases with age

Motorcycle brakes

4.5%

— Consistent

Motorcycle tyres and wheels

3.6%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Motorcycle brakes	5.7% (28 yrs)	3.2% (40 yrs)	-2.5%	🟢 ↓

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 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2021, covering 1,045 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.