1971 MG Roadster — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

78.1%

Latest Pass Rate

1,152

Total Tests (All Years)

36,114 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 Roadster as it ages.

38 yrs69.7%

→ ↑6.0%

39 yrs75.7%

→ ↓2.6%

40 yrs73.1%

→ ↓6.4%

41 yrs66.7%

→ ↑10.2%

42 yrs76.9%

→ ↓8.6%

43 yrs68.3%

→ ↑9.3%

44 yrs77.6%

→ ↓4.3%

45 yrs73.3%

→ ↓2.1%

46 yrs71.2%

→ ↑7.5%

47 yrs78.7%

→ ↑2.2%

48 yrs80.9%

→ ↓2.8%

49 yrs78.1%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	69.7%	109
39 yrs	75.7%	107
40 yrs	73.1%	104
41 yrs	66.7%	114
42 yrs	76.9%	108
43 yrs	68.3%	120
44 yrs	77.6%	116
45 yrs	73.3%	116
46 yrs	71.2%	118
47 yrs	78.7%	61
48 yrs	80.9%	47
49 yrs	78.1%	32

Pass Rate Trend

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

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2020 (49 yrs)	78.1%	32
2019 (48 yrs)	80.9%	47
2018 (47 yrs)	78.7%	61
2017 (46 yrs)	71.2%	118
2016 (45 yrs)	73.3%	116
2015 (44 yrs)	77.6%	116
2014 (43 yrs)	68.3%	120
2013 (42 yrs)	76.9%	108
2012 (41 yrs)	66.7%	114
2011 (40 yrs)	73.1%	104
2010 (39 yrs)	75.7%	107
2009 (38 yrs)	69.7%	109

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

69.7%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 109Avg Mileage 36,323Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.3%

2010

75.7%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 107Avg Mileage 39,223Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%

2011

73.1%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 104Avg Mileage 39,423Top Failure Suspension — 14.4%

2012

66.7%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 114Avg Mileage 34,806Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.9%

2013

76.9%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 108Avg Mileage 35,843Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.5%

2014

68.3%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 120Avg Mileage 35,311Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 40.8%

2015

77.6%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 116Avg Mileage 37,501Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.6%

2016

73.3%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 116Avg Mileage 37,270Top Failure Brakes — 32.8%

2017

71.2%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 118Avg Mileage 35,738Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.7%

2018

78.7%

Age (yrs) 47Tests 61Avg Mileage 38,114Top Failure Brakes — 13.1%

2019

80.9%

Age (yrs) 48Tests 47Avg Mileage 35,251Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 12.8%

2020

78.1%

Age (yrs) 49Tests 32Avg Mileage 36,114Top Failure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 12.5%

MOT results for 1971 MG Roadster by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	69.7%	109	36,323	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 18.3%
2010	39	75.7%	107	39,223	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 14.0%
2011	40	73.1%	104	39,423	Suspension — 14.4%
2012	41	66.7%	114	34,806	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.9%
2013	42	76.9%	108	35,843	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 31.5%
2014	43	68.3%	120	35,311	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 40.8%
2015	44	77.6%	116	37,501	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.6%
2016	45	73.3%	116	37,270	Brakes — 32.8%
2017	46	71.2%	118	35,738	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.7%
2018	47	78.7%	61	38,114	Brakes — 13.1%
2019	48	80.9%	47	35,251	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 12.8%
2020	49	78.1%	32	36,114	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 12.5%

Common MOT Failures

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

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

21.6%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

14.1%

↓ Decreases with age

Brakes

13.0%

— Consistent

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

10.6%

↑ Increases with age

Visibility

9.4%

— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	12.8% (38 yrs)	6.3% (49 yrs)	-6.5%	🟢 ↓
Brakes	11.9% (38 yrs)	9.4% (49 yrs)	-2.5%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

1960 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1977 1978 1979

← Back to MG Roadster overview

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

About This Data

This page shows how MG Roadster cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2020, covering 1,152 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.