4,518 tests in 2025
Talbot Express reliability and MOT pass rate
60% passed first time. The 40% fail rate is 17.4 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 33 years old with 80,380 miles.
Pass rate
60%
22.6% of all cars failed; 40% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.5%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
80,380 mi
33 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 4,518 | 40% |
What the Express fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment40 dangerous65.6%
- Body, chassis, structure110 dangerous48.1%
- Brakes270 dangerous46.5%
- Suspension50 dangerous29.1%
- Visibility2 dangerous23.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks4 dangerous14%
- Steering9 dangerous10.3%
- Tyres177 dangerous9%
Is the Express getting worse?
The fail rate fell 1.3 points to 40.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,645 | 31 | 41.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 4,349 | 32 | 41.3% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 3,466 | 32 | 40.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 3,400 | 33 | 40.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Express at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Express in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt369 tests
- 2Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength269 tests
- 3Position lamp: not working250 tests
- 4Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect239 tests
- 5Headlamp: not working on dipped beam204 tests
- 6Service brake performance: efficiency below requirements190 tests
- 7Service brake imbalance: across an axle189 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding184 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Express collects 3.52 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Wheel bearings: has excessive play881 tests
- 2Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine865 tests
- 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded816 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened604 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure410 tests
- 6Integral vehicle structure condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced341 tests
- 7Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases322 tests
- 8Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength321 tests
Questions
What is the Talbot Express MOT pass rate?
60% of the 4,518 Talbot Express first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 40% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.5% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Talbot Express usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", recorded on 369 failed tests, followed by "Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" and "Position lamp: not working". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 65.6% of failures, body, chassis, structure appears in 48.1% of failures, brakes appears in 46.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 40%. The median Talbot Express tested in 2025 was 33 years old with 80,380 miles.
Is the Talbot Express getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 1.3 points to 40.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Express trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Checking a particular Express?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.