2015 Honda Civic — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 84,612 MOT tests, the 2015 Honda Civic recorded an 88.5% pass rate. Small family cars of a similar age fail 15.6% of the time, so this is 4.1pp better than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (5.3%) and lighting & signalling (4.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, tread depth and wipers — brake pads alone was recorded 2,681 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 18.6% versus 5.8%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 9.9% fail against 13.1% for diesel, a 3.3-point gap across 84,601 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.4% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 9.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 13.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 5.3% | 4,511 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.9% | 4,167 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.7% | 3,098 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.2% | 2,713 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.9% | 754 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.7% | 554 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brake pads | 2,681 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,981 |
| 3 | Wipers | 1,971 |
| 4 | Headlamp aim | 1,856 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 1,740 |
| 6 | Washers | 1,210 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 24.4% | 20,631 |
| 2 | Brakes | 17.4% | 14,689 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.7% | 6,498 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.6% | 4,727 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.0% | 2,581 |
| 6 | Steering | 3.0% | 2,583 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8,713 | 5.8% |
| 30-60k | 32,665 | 9.0% |
| 60-90k | 26,673 | 13.0% |
| 90-120k | 11,325 | 16.3% |
| 120-150k | 3,598 | 17.3% |
| 150k+ | 1,590 | 18.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 43,913 | 9.9% |
| Diesel | 40,688 | 13.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16,606 | 9.0% |
| 2022 | 16,771 | 10.0% |
| 2023 | 16,991 | 11.6% |
| 2024 | 17,104 | 12.9% |
| 2025 | 17,140 | 13.6% |
What to check before buying a 2015 Civic
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 5.3% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (5.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
- Lighting & signalling (4.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.7% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
How many 2015 Honda Civics pass their MOT?
88.5% of the 84,612 2015 Honda Civic MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 11.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2015 Honda Civic?
Tyres, recorded in 5.3% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (4.9%).
Does the 2015 Civic get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.8% in the 0-30k band to 18.6% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 84,612 MOT tests. 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.