Honda Insight: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Honda Insight passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 1.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 8,866 individual Honda Insight tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 22 in every 100 Honda Insights presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Honda Insight tested had covered 119,334 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 Insight sits 1.4 points above the national average, ranked 1,517 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Honda Insight 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 Insight: £850 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Honda Insight

1. Headlamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.2% of tests (8.93x the national rate for this defect)
2. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 1.4% of tests (6.5x the national rate for this defect)
3. A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.8% of tests (2.78x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 2.2% of tests (2.38x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.5% of tests (1.88x the national rate for this defect)
6. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2% of tests (1.64x the national rate for this defect)
7. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.4% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3.1% of tests (1.3x the national rate for this defect)
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 2.7% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.3% of tests (1.26x the national rate for this defect)

From 8,855 DVSA-tracked Honda Insight tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.64% of these flagged Honda Insight defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Honda Insight

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 Insight 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, 10.9% of tests (9.86x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.3% of tests (2.68x the national rate for this advisory)
3. 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, 3.6% of tests (2.4x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.5% of tests (2.24x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 4.6% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 5.4% of tests (1.37x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.2% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this advisory)
8. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 14.8% of tests (1.21x the national rate for this advisory)
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 11% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 21.2% of tests

From 8,855 DVSA-tracked Honda Insight tests, 2024.

Honda Insight pass rate by model year

From its 2009 to its 2013 model year, the Honda Insight's first-time pass rate has risen 8.6 points, from 75.4% to 84%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Honda Insight year:

• 2009 Honda Insight - 75.4% first-time pass, 2,088 tests
• 2010 Honda Insight - 77% first-time pass, 2,790 tests
• 2011 Honda Insight - 82.1% first-time pass, 1,703 tests
• 2012 Honda Insight - 80.3% first-time pass, 1,248 tests
• 2013 Honda Insight - 84% first-time pass, 444 tests
• 2014 Honda Insight - 85.5% first-time pass, 276 tests

Honda Insight by fuel type

The Honda Insight's two most-tested fuel types split by 0.9 points: hybrid passes first time 79.3% of the time (4,129 tests) against 78.4% for petrol (2,242 tests).

• Hybrid Honda Insight - 79.3% first-time pass, 4,129 tests
• Petrol Honda Insight - 78.4% first-time pass, 2,242 tests
• Electric Honda Insight - 78.3% first-time pass, 1,211 tests

Other Honda models

• Honda Jazz - 78.7%
• Honda Civic - 73.4%
• Honda Cr-V - 79.3%
• Honda Hr-V - 89.8%
• Honda Accord - 68%
• Honda Jazz Ex I-Mmd Cvt - 95.6%
• Honda Fr-V - 63.7%
• Honda Jazz Crosstar Ex I-Mmd Cvt - 96.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volkswagen Touareg - 78.2%
• Citroen C4 Picasso - 78.2%
• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• MINI First - 78.1%
• Subaru Impreza - 78%
• Jaguar Xf - 77.9%

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