How reliable is the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 84.2% across 639 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 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit?

The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value", which appears in 17.2% of failed Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit 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 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit?

The most common advisory is "Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users", noted on 17.7% of all Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 73,414 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.

Are most Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit models petrol or diesel?

Of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit MOT pass rate & common failures

From 639 recorded MOT tests of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 639 MOT tests, 84.2% of Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit 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 parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, which appears in 17.2% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 73,414 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

84.2%unadjusted, not comparable639 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Silver Spirit. 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 639 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value17.2%
15 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning16.1%
14 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement13.8%
12 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged12.6%
11 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen10.3%
9 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.Parking brake inoperative on one side9.2%
8 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
7.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.0%
7 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.9%
6 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer6.9%
6 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained
10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps6.9%
6 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users17.7%
113 tests
2.A tyre seriously damaged14.7%
94 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.0%
64 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
4.A wheel bearing with excessive play9.4%
60 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage4.4%
28 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured4.4%
28 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Exhaust system leaking or insecure3.6%
23 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.3%
21 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit

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.

What gets tested

The Silver Spirit fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 73,414
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol99.4%
LPG0.6%

Check a specific Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit

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

Compare within the range

Other Rolls-Royce models

Rolls-Royce Ghost — 96.5% unadjusted
Rolls-Royce Phantom — 96.6% unadjusted
Rolls-Royce Wraith — 95.2% unadjusted
All Rolls-Royce models

Common questions

How reliable is the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit, 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 84.2% across 639 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 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit?: The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value", which appears in 17.2% of failed Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit 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 Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit?: The most common advisory is "Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users", noted on 17.7% of all Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 73,414 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.
Are most Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit models petrol or diesel?: Of the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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.