Honda Civic: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Honda Civic fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 3.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 274,712 individual Honda Civic tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 73.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 27 in every 100 Honda Civics presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Honda Civic tested had covered 91,089 miles and was built around 2010.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Honda Civic sits 3.3 points below the national average, ranked 1,667 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Honda Civic rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Honda Civic: £375 at UK salvage auction, from 39 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Honda Civic

1. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 2.4% of tests (2.59x the national rate for this defect)
2. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 6% of tests (2.57x the national rate for this defect)
3. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.4% of tests (2.57x the national rate for this defect)
4. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.6% of tests (2.42x the national rate for this defect)
5. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.5% of tests (2x the national rate for this defect)
6. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.6% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.3% of tests (1.8x the national rate for this defect)
8. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.1% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.8% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this defect)
10. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.2% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this defect)

From 274,468 DVSA-tracked Honda Civic tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.62% of these flagged Honda Civic defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Honda Civic

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Honda Civic before it actually fails on it.

1. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 4.7% of tests (4.28x the national rate for this advisory)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.8% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 5.5% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this advisory)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 6.7% of tests (1.7x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 12.8% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.3% of tests (1.16x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 26.9% of tests
9. A tyre seriously damaged, 17.3% of tests
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 15% of tests

From 274,468 DVSA-tracked Honda Civic tests, 2024.

Honda Civic pass rate by model year

From its 1995 to its 2020 model year, the Honda Civic's first-time pass rate has risen 15.4 points, from 76.6% to 92%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Honda Civic year:

• 1994 Honda Civic - 78.7% first-time pass, 216 tests
• 1995 Honda Civic - 76.6% first-time pass, 329 tests
• 1996 Honda Civic - 65.9% first-time pass, 577 tests
• 1997 Honda Civic - 66.1% first-time pass, 841 tests
• 1998 Honda Civic - 66.1% first-time pass, 1,025 tests
• 1999 Honda Civic - 68.6% first-time pass, 1,389 tests
• 2000 Honda Civic - 71.9% first-time pass, 1,574 tests
• 2001 Honda Civic - 63.3% first-time pass, 4,510 tests
• 2002 Honda Civic - 64.4% first-time pass, 6,617 tests
• 2003 Honda Civic - 63.3% first-time pass, 7,651 tests
• 2004 Honda Civic - 64.3% first-time pass, 10,616 tests
• 2005 Honda Civic - 64.9% first-time pass, 12,736 tests
• 2006 Honda Civic - 63.5% first-time pass, 14,555 tests
• 2007 Honda Civic - 63.7% first-time pass, 22,875 tests
• 2008 Honda Civic - 64.1% first-time pass, 21,047 tests
• 2009 Honda Civic - 65.6% first-time pass, 19,130 tests
• 2010 Honda Civic - 66.1% first-time pass, 16,770 tests
• 2011 Honda Civic - 69% first-time pass, 11,199 tests
• 2012 Honda Civic - 79.1% first-time pass, 13,174 tests
• 2013 Honda Civic - 81.8% first-time pass, 15,279 tests
• 2014 Honda Civic - 83.9% first-time pass, 14,428 tests
• 2015 Honda Civic - 85.3% first-time pass, 15,010 tests
• 2016 Honda Civic - 86.8% first-time pass, 16,242 tests
• 2017 Honda Civic - 88% first-time pass, 14,640 tests
• 2018 Honda Civic - 87.6% first-time pass, 13,597 tests
• 2019 Honda Civic - 90.1% first-time pass, 12,668 tests
• 2020 Honda Civic - 92% first-time pass, 3,323 tests

Honda Civic by fuel type

The Honda Civic's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.5 points: petrol passes first time 73.8% of the time (206,784 tests) against 74.3% for diesel (63,043 tests).

• Petrol Honda Civic - 73.8% first-time pass, 206,784 tests
• Diesel Honda Civic - 74.3% first-time pass, 63,043 tests
• Hybrid Honda Civic - 78% first-time pass, 1,712 tests
• Electric Honda Civic - 78.4% first-time pass, 601 tests

Other Honda models

• Honda Jazz - 78.7%
• Honda Cr-V - 79.3%
• Honda Hr-V - 89.8%
• Honda Accord - 68%
• Honda Jazz Ex I-Mmd Cvt - 95.6%
• Honda Insight - 78.1%
• Honda Fr-V - 63.7%
• Honda Jazz Crosstar Ex I-Mmd Cvt - 96.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Nissan X-Trail - 73.5%
• Subaru Forester - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Unclassified - 73.5%
• Mazda 2 - 73.4%
• Mazda 3 - 73.4%
• Mitsubishi Shogun - 73.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate