2004 Honda Accord: MOT pass rate and reliability

64% of 2004 Honda Accords pass the MOT first time, measured across 2,427 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 133,829 miles.

How the 2004 compares

  • Against all Honda Accords (68.6%, 26,329 tests): -4.6 points
  • Against all 2004 cars (64%): +0 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Honda Accord model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Honda Accord:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
1999 67.2% 460 103,406
2000 61.2% 711 102,337
2001 60.1% 544 102,437
2002 61.7% 559 102,818
2003 63.4% 1,554 128,521
2004 64% 2,427 133,829
2005 66.2% 2,907 132,686
2006 65.9% 2,781 137,889
2007 66.6% 3,099 134,623
2008 70.2% 2,857 132,359
2009 70.9% 3,046 129,897
2010 75.9% 1,254 125,603
2011 76.1% 1,250 120,348
2012 75.9% 1,167 112,393
2013 76.3% 498 98,651
2014 83% 430 88,866

What this means if you are buying a 2004 Accord

The 2004 is a weaker year for this model, passing 4.6 points less often than the Honda Accord average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2004 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 22-year-old car fails on

A 2004 car is 22 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2004 Honda Accord the average at test was 133,829 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2014 at 83%, and the weakest in our data is 2001 at 60.1%. That 22.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Honda Accord MOT data · Every model