How reliable is the Morgan 4/4 compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Morgan 4/4, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 86.3% across 1,894 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What do testers most often warn about on a Morgan 4/4?

The most common advisory is "A wheel bearing with excessive play", noted on 3.7% of all Morgan 4/4 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Morgan 4/4 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 32,649 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Morgan 4/4 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Morgan 4/4 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 88.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 85.5%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Morgan 4/4 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 88.5% of Morgan 4/4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 85.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Morgan 4/4 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,894 recorded MOT tests of the Morgan 4/4, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,894 MOT tests, 86.3% of Morgan 4/4 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Morgan 4/4 fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle, which appears in 13.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 32,649 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

86.3%unadjusted, not comparable1,894 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the 4/4. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 1,894 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Morgan 4/4 tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle13.8%
28 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
2.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake13.3%
27 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
3.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.8%
24 occurrencesLamp not working explained
4.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen9.4%
19 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement6.4%
13 occurrencesBraking efficiency below requirement explained
6.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc5.9%
12 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
7.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements5.9%
12 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
8.Audible warning inoperative5.9%
12 occurrencesHorn not working, or of the wrong type explained
9.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.9%
12 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.4%
11 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Morgan 4/4 tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.A wheel bearing with excessive play3.7%
70 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
2.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.6%
68 tests
3.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake2.5%
48 testsBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged2.5%
47 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn1.7%
33 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn1.7%
32 testsBall joint worn explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users1.6%
31 tests
8.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured1.4%
26 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Morgan 4/4

The 19 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

4/4 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Morgan 4/4 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 9 to 11 was first used in 2014–2016.

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201688%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201391%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier85%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer 4/4 outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 4/4 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 32,649
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.9%

Check a specific Morgan 4/4

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Morgan models

Morgan Plus 4 — 89.1% unadjusted
Morgan Plus 8 — 86.9% unadjusted
Morgan Roadster — 89.1% unadjusted
All Morgan models

Common questions

How reliable is the Morgan 4/4 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Morgan 4/4, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 86.3% across 1,894 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Morgan 4/4?: The item recorded most often is "Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle", which appears in 13.8% of failed Morgan 4/4 tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Morgan 4/4?: The most common advisory is "A wheel bearing with excessive play", noted on 3.7% of all Morgan 4/4 tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Morgan 4/4 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 32,649 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Morgan 4/4 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Morgan 4/4 cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 88.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 85.5%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Morgan 4/4 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 88.5% of Morgan 4/4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 85.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.