2016 Honda Civic — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 90,151 MOT tests, the 2016 Honda Civic recorded an 89.5% pass rate. Small family cars of a similar age fail 13.7% of the time, so this is 3.2pp 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 (5.0%) and lighting & signalling (4.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are brake pads, wipers and tread depth — brake pads alone was recorded 2,743 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 5.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 18.4% once past 150k — 3.5× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.2pp more often than petrol ones (12.3% vs 9.1%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 24.4% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 8.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 12.8% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 5.0% | 4,517 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.1% | 3,711 |
| 3 | Brakes | 3.4% | 3,041 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.3% | 2,936 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.8% | 694 |
| 6 | Suspension | 0.7% | 616 |
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 | 2,743 |
| 2 | Wipers | 2,421 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 1,950 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 1,782 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 1,778 |
| 6 | Washers | 1,142 |
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% | 21,995 |
| 2 | Brakes | 16.3% | 14,684 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.0% | 6,352 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.0% | 3,557 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.1% | 2,840 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.9% | 1,760 |
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 | 15,724 | 5.3% |
| 30-60k | 40,903 | 9.1% |
| 60-90k | 22,959 | 13.6% |
| 90-120k | 7,504 | 16.4% |
| 120-150k | 2,097 | 17.5% |
| 150k+ | 944 | 18.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 51,937 | 9.1% |
| Diesel | 38,198 | 12.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17,763 | 8.2% |
| 2022 | 17,900 | 9.2% |
| 2023 | 17,983 | 10.2% |
| 2024 | 18,206 | 11.8% |
| 2025 | 18,299 | 12.8% |
What to check before buying a 2016 Civic
On a 2016 Civic, tyres is what the MOT record says goes wrong most — it appeared in 5.0% of tests. Check these areas before you commit.
- Tyres (5.0% 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 (4.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.4% 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 2016 Honda Civics pass their MOT?
89.5% of the 90,151 2016 Honda Civic MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 10.5% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2016 Honda Civic?
Tyres, recorded in 5.0% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (4.1%).
Does the 2016 Civic get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.3% in the 0-30k band to 18.4% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 90,151 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.