Piaggio Vespa 50
Real ownership data from 10,050 UK Vespa 50 motorcycles — mileage, MOT pass rates and the faults that actually come up, taken from DVSA test records rather than opinion.
Most common Vespa 50 problems
Ranked by how often each fault appears in this model's MOT history.
| Fault | Severity | Share of faults |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical | major | 21.9% |
| Suspension | dangerous | 17.1% |
| Frame and structure | fail | 12.5% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 11.1% |
| Wheels | user entered | 5.3% |
| Controls and cables | major | 4.3% |
| Lights and indicators | major | 2.6% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 1.7% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is other.
Vespa 50 mileage and reliability by year
Use this to judge whether a specific bike is high or low mileage for its age.
| YearYear | MedianMedian mileage | Mi/yrMiles/year | MOT passFirst-time pass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 628 mi | — | 85.71% |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,485 mi | 130 | 91.3% |
| 2020 | 70 | 2,858 mi | 677 | 93.4% |
| 2019 | 91 | 2,724 mi | 329 | 93.15% |
| 2018 | 103 | 2,883 mi | 318 | 92.59% |
| 2017 | 150 | 4,746 mi | 471 | 88.53% |
| 2016 | 202 | 5,696 mi | 567 | 85.45% |
| 2015 | 207 | 6,680 mi | 624 | 85.99% |
| 2014 | 252 | 6,334 mi | 589 | 83.7% |
| 2013 | 276 | 6,715 mi | 600 | 83.84% |
| 2012 | 310 | 7,310 mi | 492 | 82.96% |
| 2011 | 263 | 6,602 mi | 776 | 82.47% |
| 2010 | 477 | 8,511 mi | 821 | 80.98% |
| 2009 | 570 | 8,775 mi | 699 | 81.12% |
| 2008 | 712 | 8,864 mi | 769 | 78.67% |
| 2007 | 824 | 10,137 mi | 1,042 | 78.2% |
| 2006 | 907 | 10,684 mi | 1,118 | 77.16% |
| 2005 | 820 | 10,925 mi | 1,164 | 77.91% |
| 2004 | 709 | 8,948 mi | 801 | 76.44% |
| 2003 | 593 | 8,566 mi | 887 | 76.71% |
Vespa 50 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Piaggio Vespa 50?
Across 10,050 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are electrical (21.9% of all recorded faults), suspension (17.1% of all recorded faults), frame and structure (12.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Piaggio Vespa 50?
The median Piaggio Vespa 50 in the UK has covered 9,019 miles, and typically rides about 766 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 4,770 and 14,664 miles.
Is the Piaggio Vespa 50 reliable?
78.65% of Piaggio Vespa 50 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.01 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 10,050 Piaggio Vespa 50 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.