BMW 1 Series vs Honda Civic
The BMW 1 Series has the better MOT record of the two — 16.0% fail rate versus 20.8% for the Honda Civic across comparable years. The biggest single difference is lighting & signalling, where the Civic records failures noticeably more often.
16.0%
1 Series fail rate
20.8%
Civic fail rate
4.8pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | BMW 1 Series | Honda Civic |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 2,288,981 | 1,795,430 |
| Pass rate | 84.0% | 79.2% |
| Fail rate | 16.0% | 20.8% |
Where they differ
| Category | 1 Series | Civic |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting & signalling | 7.6% | 14.4% |
| Suspension | 4.1% | 8.9% |
| Brakes | 4.5% | 6.7% |
| Tyres | 6.3% | 5.3% |
| Visibility | 3.5% | 4.5% |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.