Honda Civic vs Mercedes-Benz A-Class
On MOT-testable defects the Mercedes-Benz A-Class comes out ahead: 14.9% of its tests record a failure against 20.8% for the Honda Civic, a 5.9-point gap. The biggest single difference is lighting & signalling, where the Civic records failures noticeably more often.
20.8%
Civic fail rate
14.9%
A-Class fail rate
5.87pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | Honda Civic | Mercedes-Benz A-Class |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 1,795,430 | 1,863,616 |
| Pass rate | 79.2% | 85.1% |
| Fail rate | 20.8% | 14.9% |
Where they differ
| Category | Civic | A-Class |
|---|---|---|
| Lighting & signalling | 14.4% | 5.1% |
| Suspension | 8.9% | 3.9% |
| Brakes | 6.7% | 3.6% |
| Visibility | 4.5% | 3.3% |
| Tyres | 5.3% | 5.9% |
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.