1981 Rolls-Royce Unclassified — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age

45 years

Current Age

73.5%

Latest Pass Rate

377

Total Tests (All Years)

66,130 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 Rolls-Royce Unclassified as it ages.

28 yrs61.5%

→ ↑12.5%

29 yrs74.0%

→ ↓12.0%

30 yrs62.0%

→ ↑17.1%

31 yrs79.1%

→ ↑4.2%

32 yrs83.3%

→ ↑4.6%

33 yrs87.9%

→ ↓14.4%

34 yrs73.5%

→ ↑1.5%

35 yrs75.0%

→ ↓1.5%

36 yrs73.5%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
28 yrs	61.5%	65
29 yrs	74.0%	50
30 yrs	62.0%	50
31 yrs	79.1%	43
32 yrs	83.3%	36
33 yrs	87.9%	33
34 yrs	73.5%	34
35 yrs	75.0%	32
36 yrs	73.5%	34

Pass Rate Trend

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

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (36 yrs)	73.5%	34
2016 (35 yrs)	75%	32
2015 (34 yrs)	73.5%	34
2014 (33 yrs)	87.9%	33
2013 (32 yrs)	83.3%	36
2012 (31 yrs)	79.1%	43
2011 (30 yrs)	62%	50
2010 (29 yrs)	74%	50
2009 (28 yrs)	61.5%	65

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

61.5%

Age (yrs) 28Tests 65Avg Mileage 81,565Top Failure Brakes — 27.7%

2010

74.0%

Age (yrs) 29Tests 50Avg Mileage 78,961Top Failure Brakes — 20.0%

2011High Fail Rate

62.0%

Age (yrs) 30Tests 50Avg Mileage 72,002Top Failure Brakes — 32.0%

2012

79.1%

Age (yrs) 31Tests 43Avg Mileage 74,297Top Failure Brakes — 14.0%

2013

83.3%

Age (yrs) 32Tests 36Avg Mileage 90,196Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%

2014

87.9%

Age (yrs) 33Tests 33Avg Mileage 67,732Top Failure Brakes — 15.2%

2015

73.5%

Age (yrs) 34Tests 34Avg Mileage 72,579Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.4%

2016

75.0%

Age (yrs) 35Tests 32Avg Mileage 74,063Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 37.5%

2017

73.5%

Age (yrs) 36Tests 34Avg Mileage 66,130Top Failure Brakes — 23.5%

MOT results for 1981 Rolls-Royce Unclassified by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	28	61.5%	65	81,565	Brakes — 27.7%
2010	29	74.0%	50	78,961	Brakes — 20.0%
2011	30	62.0%	50	72,002	Brakes — 32.0%
2012	31	79.1%	43	74,297	Brakes — 14.0%
2013	32	83.3%	36	90,196	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 33.3%
2014	33	87.9%	33	67,732	Brakes — 15.2%
2015	34	73.5%	34	72,579	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.4%
2016	35	75.0%	32	74,063	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 37.5%
2017	36	73.5%	34	66,130	Brakes — 23.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1981 Rolls-Royce Unclassified, with age trends.

Brakes

21.9%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

21.5%

↑ Increases with age

Road Wheels

15.6%

— Consistent

Driver's View of the Road

14.4%

↑ Increases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

13.3%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	16.9% (28 yrs)	8.8% (36 yrs)	-8.1%	🟢 ↓
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions	20.0% (28 yrs)	14.7% (36 yrs)	-5.3%	🟢 ↓
Driver's View of the Road	12.3% (28 yrs)	17.6% (36 yrs)	+5.3%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	27.7% (28 yrs)	23.5% (36 yrs)	-4.2%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Rolls-Royce Unclassified page →

About This Data

This page shows how Rolls-Royce Unclassified cars manufactured in 1981 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 377 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.