The picture
Cb500: above-average pass rates, with caveats
Across 1,619 MOT tests, the Cb500 returns 84.3% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-functioning shock absorber. Rate of flashing not between 60 and a stop-lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 34,168, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
29 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
- 02
Rate of flashing not between 60 and 120 times per minute
17 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
- 03
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
16 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
- 04
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
15 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
- 05
A lamp not securely attached
12 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 06
A lamp missing or inoperative
11 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
- 07
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
10 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 08
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
10 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 09
A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
10 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
- 10
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£68–£130
If every one of this Cb500's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Cb500?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Cb500 and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.