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1971 MG Mgb — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
84.2%
Latest Pass Rate
3,355
Total Tests (All Years)
40,265 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 1971 MG Mgb as it ages.

38 yrs68.5%
39 yrs70.4%
40 yrs71.4%
41 yrs76.0%
42 yrs71.6%
43 yrs70.7%
44 yrs71.4%
45 yrs73.1%
46 yrs70.5%
47 yrs75.5%
48 yrs74.5%
49 yrs75.0%
50 yrs75.7%
51 yrs82.9%
52 yrs80.0%
53 yrs84.2%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 38 to 53 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
38 yrs68.5%302
39 yrs70.4%314
40 yrs71.4%322
41 yrs76.0%313
42 yrs71.6%341
43 yrs70.7%334
44 yrs71.4%332
45 yrs73.1%320
46 yrs70.5%315
47 yrs75.5%143
48 yrs74.5%102
49 yrs75.0%72
50 yrs75.7%37
51 yrs82.9%35
52 yrs80.0%35
53 yrs84.2%38

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 MG Mgb pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 16 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (53 yrs)84.2%38
2023 (52 yrs)80%35
2022 (51 yrs)82.9%35
2021 (50 yrs)75.7%37
2020 (49 yrs)75%72
2019 (48 yrs)74.5%102
2018 (47 yrs)75.5%143
2017 (46 yrs)70.5%315
2016 (45 yrs)73.1%320
2015 (44 yrs)71.4%332
2014 (43 yrs)70.7%334
2013 (42 yrs)71.6%341
2012 (41 yrs)76%313
2011 (40 yrs)71.4%322
2010 (39 yrs)70.4%314
2009 (38 yrs)68.5%302

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009
68.5%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 302Avg Mileage 40,626Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.9%
2010
70.4%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 314Avg Mileage 41,872Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.6%
2011
71.4%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 322Avg Mileage 38,485Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.8%
2012
76.0%
Age (yrs) 41Tests 313Avg Mileage 37,748Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.8%
2013
71.6%
Age (yrs) 42Tests 341Avg Mileage 39,126Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 29.9%
2014
70.7%
Age (yrs) 43Tests 334Avg Mileage 38,730Top Failure Suspension — 31.1%
2015
71.4%
Age (yrs) 44Tests 332Avg Mileage 38,002Top Failure Brakes — 35.8%
2016
73.1%
Age (yrs) 45Tests 320Avg Mileage 38,248Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 30.6%
2017
70.5%
Age (yrs) 46Tests 315Avg Mileage 40,612Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.1%
2018
75.5%
Age (yrs) 47Tests 143Avg Mileage 41,072Top Failure Suspension — 20.3%
2019
74.5%
Age (yrs) 48Tests 102Avg Mileage 42,865Top Failure Suspension — 29.4%
2020
75.0%
Age (yrs) 49Tests 72Avg Mileage 38,793Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 31.9%
2021
75.7%
Age (yrs) 50Tests 37Avg Mileage 40,731Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 37.8%
2022
82.9%
Age (yrs) 51Tests 35Avg Mileage 36,443Top Failure Brakes — 28.6%
2023
80.0%
Age (yrs) 52Tests 35Avg Mileage 39,453Top Failure Suspension — 20.0%
2024
84.2%
Age (yrs) 53Tests 38Avg Mileage 40,265Top Failure Brakes — 15.8%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 MG Mgb, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
21.8%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
21.5%
↓ Decreases with age
Suspension
21.2%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
18.3%
↑ Increases with age
Visibility
11.5%
↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Brakes11.6% (38 yrs)15.8% (53 yrs)
+4.2%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the MG Mgb page →

About This Data

This page shows how MG Mgb cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2024, covering 3,355 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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