1981 Morgan 4/4 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years

Current Age

76.5%

Latest Pass Rate

417

Total Tests (All Years)

46,180 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 Morgan 4/4 as it ages.

28 yrs70.8%

→ ↑9.6%

29 yrs80.4%

→ ↓4.3%

30 yrs76.1%

→ ↓18.6%

31 yrs57.5%

→ ↑8.4%

32 yrs65.9%

→ ↑17.0%

33 yrs82.9%

→ ↓7.9%

34 yrs75.0%

→ ↓9.1%

35 yrs65.9%

→ ↓1.0%

36 yrs64.9%

→ ↑11.6%

37 yrs76.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
28 yrs	70.8%	48
29 yrs	80.4%	46
30 yrs	76.1%	46
31 yrs	57.5%	40
32 yrs	65.9%	44
33 yrs	82.9%	41
34 yrs	75.0%	40
35 yrs	65.9%	41
36 yrs	64.9%	37
37 yrs	76.5%	34

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1981 Morgan 4/4 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2018 (37 yrs)	76.5%	34
2017 (36 yrs)	64.9%	37
2016 (35 yrs)	65.9%	41
2015 (34 yrs)	75%	40
2014 (33 yrs)	82.9%	41
2013 (32 yrs)	65.9%	44
2012 (31 yrs)	57.5%	40
2011 (30 yrs)	76.1%	46
2010 (29 yrs)	80.4%	46
2009 (28 yrs)	70.8%	48

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

70.8%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 48Avg Mileage 46,826Top Failure Brakes — 14.6%

2010

80.4%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 46Avg Mileage 46,859Top Failure Brakes — 8.7%

2011

76.1%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 46Avg Mileage 50,291Top Failure Brakes — 13.0%

2012High Fail Rate

57.5%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 40Avg Mileage 50,706Top Failure Brakes — 27.5%

2013

65.9%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 44Avg Mileage 51,069Top Failure Brakes — 52.3%

2014

82.9%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 41Avg Mileage 53,120Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.2%

2015

75.0%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 40Avg Mileage 52,551Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.5%

2016

65.9%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 41Avg Mileage 52,466Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 43.9%

2017High Fail Rate

64.9%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 37Avg Mileage 52,299Top Failure Brakes — 35.1%

2018

76.5%

Age (yrs) 37Tests 34Avg Mileage 46,180Top Failure Brakes — 41.2%

MOT results for 1981 Morgan 4/4 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	28	70.8%	48	46,826	Brakes — 14.6%
2010	29	80.4%	46	46,859	Brakes — 8.7%
2011	30	76.1%	46	50,291	Brakes — 13.0%
2012	31	57.5%	40	50,706	Brakes — 27.5%
2013	32	65.9%	44	51,069	Brakes — 52.3%
2014	33	82.9%	41	53,120	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.2%
2015	34	75.0%	40	52,551	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 27.5%
2016	35	65.9%	41	52,466	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 43.9%
2017	36	64.9%	37	52,299	Brakes — 35.1%
2018	37	76.5%	34	46,180	Brakes — 41.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 Morgan 4/4, with age trends.

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

38.2%

— Consistent

Brakes

24.4%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

20.9%

↑ Increases with age

Visibility

14.7%

— Consistent

Suspension

14.5%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	14.6% (28 yrs)	41.2% (37 yrs)	+26.6%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	10.4% (28 yrs)	17.6% (37 yrs)	+7.2%	🔴 ↑
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	14.6% (28 yrs)	17.6% (37 yrs)	+3.0%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Morgan 4/4 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Morgan 4/4 cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2018, covering 417 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.