Piaggio Vespa 50
Real ownership data from 10,042 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lights and indicators | fail | 8.1% |
| Brakes | dangerous | 7.1% |
| Tyres | fail | 4.5% |
| Other | dangerous | 3.3% |
| Steering and head bearings | fail | 3% |
| Suspension | fail | 2.3% |
| Exhaust and emissions | major | 2% |
| Electrical | major | 1.8% |
Advisories (wear noted but not failed) are excluded above; the most common is steering and head bearings.
Vespa 50 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 7 | 628 mi | — | 85.71% |
| 2021 | 10 | 2,485 mi | 130 | 95.45% |
| 2020 | 70 | 2,858 mi | 716 | 93.51% |
| 2019 | 91 | 2,632 mi | 322 | 93.16% |
| 2018 | 104 | 2,778 mi | 342 | 92.51% |
| 2017 | 150 | 4,600 mi | 461 | 88.52% |
| 2016 | 202 | 5,298 mi | 554 | 85.18% |
| 2015 | 207 | 6,661 mi | 615 | 85.99% |
| 2014 | 252 | 6,334 mi | 604 | 83.79% |
| 2013 | 276 | 6,696 mi | 600 | 83.89% |
| 2012 | 310 | 7,271 mi | 487 | 82.88% |
| 2011 | 263 | 6,583 mi | 776 | 82.39% |
| 2010 | 477 | 8,379 mi | 828 | 81% |
| 2009 | 565 | 8,769 mi | 705 | 80.94% |
| 2008 | 711 | 8,863 mi | 769 | 78.71% |
| 2007 | 824 | 10,137 mi | 1,042 | 78.18% |
| 2006 | 907 | 10,655 mi | 1,115 | 77.18% |
| 2005 | 819 | 10,913 mi | 1,166 | 77.9% |
| 2004 | 709 | 8,948 mi | 802 | 76.4% |
| 2003 | 593 | 8,566 mi | 887 | 76.69% |
Vespa 50 questions, answered with data
What are the most common problems with the Piaggio Vespa 50?
Across 10,042 UK examples, the most frequently recorded MOT faults are lights and indicators (8.1% of all recorded faults), brakes (7.1% of all recorded faults), tyres (4.5% of all recorded faults).
What is average mileage for a Piaggio Vespa 50?
The median Piaggio Vespa 50 in the UK has covered 8,995 miles, and typically rides about 762 miles a year. Half of all examples fall between 4,743 and 14,650 miles.
Is the Piaggio Vespa 50 reliable?
78.61% of Piaggio Vespa 50 MOT tests are passed first time, with an average of 0.8 faults recorded per test. This is measured from DVSA MOT records, not owner opinion.
Based on DVSA MOT test records for 10,042 Piaggio Vespa 50 motorcycles registered in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.