1971 Rover 3.5 Litre — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

81.1%

Latest Pass Rate

348

Total Tests (All Years)

55,820 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 Rover 3.5 Litre as it ages.

38 yrs59.6%

→ ↑11.8%

39 yrs71.4%

→ ↑4.8%

40 yrs76.2%

→ ↑2.2%

41 yrs78.4%

→ ↓8.4%

42 yrs70.0%

→ ↑14.2%

43 yrs84.2%

→ ↑6.3%

44 yrs90.5%

→ ↓13.8%

45 yrs76.7%

→ ↑4.4%

46 yrs81.1%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	59.6%	47
39 yrs	71.4%	35
40 yrs	76.2%	42
41 yrs	78.4%	37
42 yrs	70.0%	40
43 yrs	84.2%	38
44 yrs	90.5%	42
45 yrs	76.7%	30
46 yrs	81.1%	37

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Rover 3.5 Litre pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2017 (46 yrs)	81.1%	37
2016 (45 yrs)	76.7%	30
2015 (44 yrs)	90.5%	42
2014 (43 yrs)	84.2%	38
2013 (42 yrs)	70%	40
2012 (41 yrs)	78.4%	37
2011 (40 yrs)	76.2%	42
2010 (39 yrs)	71.4%	35
2009 (38 yrs)	59.6%	47

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

59.6%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 47Avg Mileage 51,147Top Failure Brakes — 25.5%

2010

71.4%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 35Avg Mileage 52,432Top Failure Brakes — 20.0%

2011

76.2%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 42Avg Mileage 48,589Top Failure Brakes — 14.3%

2012

78.4%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 37Avg Mileage 51,696Top Failure Brakes — 13.5%

2013

70.0%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 40Avg Mileage 58,417Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 50.0%

2014

84.2%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 38Avg Mileage 55,277Top Failure Brakes — 26.3%

2015

90.5%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 42Avg Mileage 51,813Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.8%

2016

76.7%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 30Avg Mileage 56,984Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.7%

2017

81.1%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 37Avg Mileage 55,820Top Failure Brakes — 18.9%

MOT results for 1971 Rover 3.5 Litre by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	59.6%	47	51,147	Brakes — 25.5%
2010	39	71.4%	35	52,432	Brakes — 20.0%
2011	40	76.2%	42	48,589	Brakes — 14.3%
2012	41	78.4%	37	51,696	Brakes — 13.5%
2013	42	70.0%	40	58,417	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 50.0%
2014	43	84.2%	38	55,277	Brakes — 26.3%
2015	44	90.5%	42	51,813	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.8%
2016	45	76.7%	30	56,984	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 26.7%
2017	46	81.1%	37	55,820	Brakes — 18.9%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Rover 3.5 Litre, with age trends.

Brakes

20.3%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

19.5%

↓ Decreases with age

Suspension

17.3%

— Consistent

Driver's View of the Road

13.0%

— Consistent

Steering

12.4%

↓ 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
Steering	17.0% (38 yrs)	8.1% (46 yrs)	-8.9%	🟢 ↓
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	19.1% (38 yrs)	10.8% (46 yrs)	-8.3%	🟢 ↓
Brakes	25.5% (38 yrs)	18.9% (46 yrs)	-6.6%	🟢 ↓
Suspension	14.9% (38 yrs)	13.5% (46 yrs)	-1.4%	⚪ —

Other Manufacture Years

1968 1969 1970 1971

← Back to Rover 3.5 Litre overview

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About This Data

This page shows how Rover 3.5 Litre cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 348 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.