Honda Civic common problems and MOT pass rate

In 2025, DVSA recorded 260,649 initial MOT tests on the Honda Civic in Great Britain, and 67.1% passed first time. Here is where the rest failed.

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Honda Civic at the MOT, 2025

Initial MOT tests: 260,649
Passed first timeAll cars and vans: 72.1%: 67.1%
Failed at firstIncluding 7.4% repaired at the test and passed (PRS): 32.9%
Had a dangerous defectAll cars and vans: 7.3%: 8.5%
Licensed in the UKEnd of 2026 Q2, plus 46,413 off the road (SORN): 243,187

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

Failure areas

Where the Civic fails its MOT

The share of initial tests in 2025 with at least one fail or PRS item in each part of the MOT. A test can fail in more than one area, so these do not add up to the fail rate.

1Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
17.4%
Headlamps and their aim, brake lights, indicators, fog and reversing lamps, warning lights, battery and wiringAll cars and vans: 10.8%
2Suspension
10.7%
Springs, shock absorbers, suspension arms and bushes, anti-roll bars, wheel bearings and axlesAll cars and vans: 9.0%
3Brakes
7.8%
Pedal and handbrake, pipes and hoses, discs, pads and drums, and how well the car stopsAll cars and vans: 6.4%
4Tyres
6.3%
Tread depth, cuts and bulges, the right size and type, valves and tyre pressure warning systemsAll cars and vans: 6.2%
5Visibility
5.4%
The driver's view, windscreen damage, wipers, washers and mirrorsAll cars and vans: 4.4%
6Body, chassis and structure
3.3%
Corrosion and damage to the structure, the exhaust system, fuel system, doors, seats, towbar, bumpers and engine mountingsAll cars and vans: 3.3%
7Noise, emissions and leaks
3.0%
Exhaust emissions and smoke, exhaust noise and fluid leaksAll cars and vans: 3.2%
8Steering
2.2%
Steering rack, joints and linkages, power steering, the steering wheel and columnAll cars and vans: 2.0%
9Seat belts and airbags
1.1%
Seat belts, airbags and the airbag warning lightAll cars and vans: 1.0%
10Road wheels
0.5%
Damaged or loose wheels, wheel nuts and hubsAll cars and vans: 0.4%

This modelAll cars and vans

Parts

The parts that fail most

Share of initial tests with a fail or PRS item on each part, 2025.

Headlamp aimLamps and electrics6.1%
Position lampsLamps and electrics5.5%
HeadlampsLamps and electrics4.8%
Anti-roll barsSuspension4.1%
Stop lampLamps and electrics3.5%
ConditionTyres3.5%
Brake performanceBrakes3.4%
Mechanical brake componentsBrakes3.4%

By age

Pass rate by year first used

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of its year. Cars up to 25 years old; years with fewer than 250 tests are left out.

First used	Tests	Passed first time	Dangerous defect
2022	1,410	93.8%	1.1%
2021	4,891	88.0%	3.9%
2020	5,553	87.0%	4.8%
2019	12,615	86.0%	5.7%
2018	13,504	84.9%	5.7%
2017	14,502	83.3%	6.2%
2016	16,094	80.8%	6.7%
2015	14,921	79.3%	7.2%
2014	14,313	75.9%	7.0%
2013	15,091	71.6%	7.8%
2012	12,847	69.0%	8.0%
2011	10,809	57.4%	8.7%
2010	15,854	54.9%	10.0%
2009	17,443	54.3%	10.3%
2008	18,228	53.8%	11.2%
2007	18,941	54.0%	11.3%
2006	11,546	53.4%	12.2%
2005	10,977	56.5%	10.8%
2004	9,012	57.0%	10.3%
2003	6,353	53.6%	9.9%
2002	5,546	55.1%	10.9%
2001	3,755	55.9%	9.5%
2000	1,457	64.6%	7.7%

Mileage

Civic mileage by age

The median reading at the test: half the cars of that age had covered more, half less. Estimated from 1,000-mile bands, for cars up to 25 years old.

A car well above or below the typical figure is not a problem in itself, but the readings should rise steadily from one MOT to the next. A fall, or a long gap, is worth asking about.

Check a car's mileage record

Age at test	Median mileage	Readings
2 years	21,200 miles	1,313
3 years	27,100 miles	3,988
4 years	32,200 miles	5,005
5 years	40,100 miles	9,764
6 years	48,600 miles	13,601
7 years	53,900 miles	12,982
8 years	60,300 miles	15,500
9 years	71,200 miles	15,467
10 years	79,500 miles	14,179
11 years	88,800 miles	14,185
12 years	94,500 miles	14,156
13 years	94,600 miles	11,336
14 years	101,400 miles	13,246
15 years	107,900 miles	16,812
16 years	114,800 miles	16,548
17 years	119,100 miles	19,791
18 years	122,600 miles	14,961
19 years	116,400 miles	10,826
20 years	109,000 miles	10,005
21 years	109,400 miles	7,663
22 years	105,100 miles	5,971
23 years	104,900 miles	4,625
24 years	95,800 miles	2,485
25 years	94,100 miles	1,400

Checking a particular Civic?

Averages tell you what to look at. The registration tells you about this car: every MOT since 2005 with its failures and advisories, each mileage reading, and whether it is taxed.

Questions

Honda Civic: common questions

Contains DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, year 2025.

What is the most common MOT failure on the Honda Civic?

In DVSA's 2025 test records, the area that failed most often on the Honda Civic was lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 17.4% of initial tests had at least one fail or PRS item there, against 10.8% for all cars and vans. Next came suspension (10.7%) and brakes (7.8%).

What is the MOT pass rate for the Honda Civic?

67.1% of 260,649 initial MOT tests on the Honda Civic in 2025 were a pass first time. Another 7.4% passed after small repairs made at the test station within the hour (PRS). Across all cars and vans, 72.1% passed first time.

Does a lower pass rate mean the Honda Civic is unreliable?

Not on its own. MOT results depend on age, mileage and upkeep as much as on design, so a model with many older cars on the road will usually fail more often. The table by year compares cars of a similar age. What matters most is the record of the car you are looking at, so check its MOT history before you buy.

What counts as a dangerous defect?

One the tester judges to be a direct and immediate risk to road safety, or to have a serious impact on the environment. The car fails and should not be driven until it is repaired. 8.5% of initial tests on the Honda Civic found at least one, against 7.3% for all cars and vans.

Where do these figures come from?

From DVSA's anonymised MOT test data for 2025, published under the Open Government Licence. We count initial tests on cars and light vans in Great Britain, as DVSA does in its own statistics: retests, appeals and abandoned tests are left out, and so are advisories and minor defects.

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