1970 Triumph Spitfire — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1970 perform at MOT as they age

56 years

Current Age

90.6%

Latest Pass Rate

1,642

Total Tests (All Years)

46,271 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 1970 Triumph Spitfire as it ages.

39 yrs67.2%

→ ↓0.3%

40 yrs66.9%

→ ↓2.5%

41 yrs64.4%

→ ↑8.4%

42 yrs72.8%

→ ↓2.1%

43 yrs70.7%

→ ↓1.7%

44 yrs69.0%

→ ↓0.9%

45 yrs68.1%

→ ↑0.1%

46 yrs68.2%

→ ↑7.3%

47 yrs75.5%

→ ↓2.1%

48 yrs73.4%

→ ↓5.8%

49 yrs67.6%

→ ↑23.0%

51 yrs90.6%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
39 yrs	67.2%	186
40 yrs	66.9%	172
41 yrs	64.4%	177
42 yrs	72.8%	173
43 yrs	70.7%	167
44 yrs	69.0%	155
45 yrs	68.1%	166
46 yrs	68.2%	154
47 yrs	75.5%	159
48 yrs	73.4%	64
49 yrs	67.6%	37
51 yrs	90.6%	32

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1970 Triumph Spitfire pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2021 (51 yrs)	90.6%	32
2019 (49 yrs)	67.6%	37
2018 (48 yrs)	73.4%	64
2017 (47 yrs)	75.5%	159
2016 (46 yrs)	68.2%	154
2015 (45 yrs)	68.1%	166
2014 (44 yrs)	69%	155
2013 (43 yrs)	70.7%	167
2012 (42 yrs)	72.8%	173
2011 (41 yrs)	64.4%	177
2010 (40 yrs)	66.9%	172
2009 (39 yrs)	67.2%	186

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009

67.2%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 186Avg Mileage 48,302Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.0%

2010

66.9%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 172Avg Mileage 48,444Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.3%

2011High Fail Rate

64.4%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 177Avg Mileage 50,665Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%

2012

72.8%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 173Avg Mileage 47,693Top Failure Brakes — 16.2%

2013

70.7%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 167Avg Mileage 49,165Top Failure Brakes — 39.5%

2014

69.0%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 155Avg Mileage 50,650Top Failure Brakes — 45.8%

2015

68.1%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 166Avg Mileage 46,491Top Failure Brakes — 56.6%

2016

68.2%

Age (yrs) 46Tests 154Avg Mileage 45,863Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 48.1%

2017

75.5%

Age (yrs) 47Tests 159Avg Mileage 50,401Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.9%

2018

73.4%

Age (yrs) 48Tests 64Avg Mileage 44,362Top Failure Brakes — 37.5%

2019

67.6%

Age (yrs) 49Tests 37Avg Mileage 51,391Top Failure Suspension — 40.5%

2021

90.6%

Age (yrs) 51Tests 32Avg Mileage 46,271Top Failure Brakes — 12.5%

MOT results for 1970 Triumph Spitfire by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	39	67.2%	186	48,302	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 21.0%
2010	40	66.9%	172	48,444	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.3%
2011	41	64.4%	177	50,665	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 20.9%
2012	42	72.8%	173	47,693	Brakes — 16.2%
2013	43	70.7%	167	49,165	Brakes — 39.5%
2014	44	69.0%	155	50,650	Brakes — 45.8%
2015	45	68.1%	166	46,491	Brakes — 56.6%
2016	46	68.2%	154	45,863	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 48.1%
2017	47	75.5%	159	50,401	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.9%
2018	48	73.4%	64	44,362	Brakes — 37.5%
2019	49	67.6%	37	51,391	Suspension — 40.5%
2021	51	90.6%	32	46,271	Brakes — 12.5%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1970 Triumph Spitfire, with age trends.

Brakes

30.7%

↓ Decreases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

30.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

21.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

21.4%

↓ Decreases with age

Tyres

11.3%

↑ 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	20.4% (39 yrs)	12.5% (51 yrs)	-7.9%	🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Triumph Spitfire page →

About This Data

This page shows how Triumph Spitfire cars manufactured in 1970 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2021, covering 1,642 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.