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

We do not publish a comparison for the Morgan Plus 4, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 89.1% across 1,460 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 Plus 4?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 3.4% of all Morgan Plus 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 Plus 4 usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 22,970 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 Plus 4 years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Morgan Plus 4 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 92.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 86.4%. 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 Plus 4 get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 92.5% of Morgan Plus 4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 86.4%. 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 Plus 4 MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,460 recorded MOT tests of the Morgan Plus 4, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,460 MOT tests, 89.1% of Morgan Plus 4 tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Morgan Plus 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 significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, which appears in 12.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 22,970 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

89.1%unadjusted, not comparable1,460 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Plus 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 1,460 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake12.4%
16 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
2.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc11.6%
15 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
3.Stop lamps all missing or inoperative10.1%
13 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
4.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen8.5%
11 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.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 axle8.5%
11 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.8%
10 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits7.8%
10 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
8.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer4.7%
6 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
9.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements4.7%
6 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged4.7%
6 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Morgan Plus 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 tyre seriously damaged3.4%
50 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.A wheel bearing with excessive play3.4%
49 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn2.7%
39 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users2.6%
38 tests
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements2.0%
29 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A stub axle swivel pin and/or bush excessively worn1.8%
26 testsBall joint worn explained
7.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake1.6%
23 testsBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
8.A shock absorber bush excessively worn1.0%
15 testsShock absorber defective explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Morgan Plus 4

The 16 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

Plus 4 pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Morgan Plus 4 passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201993%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201691%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201390%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier86%

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 Plus 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 Plus 4 fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 22,970
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Check a specific Morgan Plus 4

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

Compare within the range

Other Morgan models

Morgan 4/4 — 86.3% unadjusted
Morgan Plus 8 — 86.9% unadjusted
Morgan Roadster — 89.1% unadjusted
All Morgan models

Common questions

How reliable is the Morgan Plus 4 compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Morgan Plus 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 89.1% across 1,460 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 Plus 4?: The item recorded most often is "Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake", which appears in 12.4% of failed Morgan Plus 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 Plus 4?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 3.4% of all Morgan Plus 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 Plus 4 usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 22,970 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 Plus 4 years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Morgan Plus 4 cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 92.5%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 86.4%. 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 Plus 4 get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 92.5% of Morgan Plus 4 tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 86.4%. 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.