Piaggio APE
Real ownership data from 779 UK APE motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common APE problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | dangerous | 18.8% |
| Other | dangerous | 12.1% |
| Brakes | fail | 9.9% |
| Tyres | dangerous | 8.4% |
| Suspension | major | 4.1% |
| Electrical | fail | 2.1% |
| Controls and cables | fail | 1.8% |
| Fuel system | major | 1.7% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is brakes.
APE mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| Year | Examples | Median mileage | Miles/year | First-time pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | — | — | — |
| 2025 | 14 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 8 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | 6 | 839 mi | — | 100% |
| 2022 | 33 | 239 mi | 84 | 76.19% |
| 2021 | 26 | 1,070 mi | 488 | 90% |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,704 mi | 304 | 87.18% |
| 2019 | 31 | 741 mi | 120 | 89.23% |
| 2018 | 39 | 2,886 mi | 370 | 80.99% |
| 2017 | 50 | 915 mi | 58 | 80% |
| 2016 | 44 | 1,269 mi | 142 | 85.94% |
| 2015 | 64 | 2,328 mi | 154 | 81.22% |
| 2014 | 31 | 2,288 mi | 178 | 79.51% |
| 2013 | 32 | 746 mi | 74 | 74.34% |
| 2012 | 18 | 1,124 mi | 542 | 90% |
| 2011 | 16 | 3,302 mi | 751 | 75.61% |
| 2010 | 13 | 4,974 mi | 48 | 64.86% |
| 2009 | 5 | 8,099 mi | 11 | 55.56% |
| 2008 | 20 | 5,452 mi | 358 | 63.41% |
| 2007 | 25 | 3,209 mi | 324 | 71.43% |
APE questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Piaggio APE?
Across 779 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (18.8% of all recorded faults), other (12.1% of all recorded faults), brakes (9.9% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Piaggio APE?
The median Piaggio APE in the UK has covered 2,458 miles, and typically rides about 157 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 587 and 8,658 miles.
Is the Piaggio APE reliable?
78.13% of Piaggio APE MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.46 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 779 Piaggio APE motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.