2017 Honda Civic — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2017 Honda Civic passed 90.3% of its 80,738 recorded MOT tests. That is 2.2 percentage points better than small family cars of a similar age, which fail at 11.9%. Failures cluster in tyres, visibility and lighting & signalling.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (4.7%) and visibility (3.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, brake pads and tread depth — wipers alone was recorded 2,551 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 16.7% versus 6.0%.
The petrol cars hold up better: 9.4% fail against 11.8% for diesel, a 2.5-point gap across 80,725 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.1% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 7.3% of tests failed in 2021 against 11.5% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 4.7% | 3,818 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.9% | 3,112 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 2.9% | 2,382 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.9% | 2,334 |
| 5 | Steering | 0.8% | 649 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.5% | 399 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 2,551 |
| 2 | Brake pads | 2,186 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 1,905 |
| 4 | Washers | 1,377 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 976 |
| 6 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 610 |
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 | 23.1% | 18,670 |
| 2 | Brakes | 15.2% | 12,248 |
| 3 | Other defects | 6.6% | 5,324 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.2% | 2,599 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.3% | 1,873 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.4% | 1,142 |
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 | 23,313 | 6.0% |
| 30-60k | 40,299 | 10.0% |
| 60-90k | 13,539 | 13.4% |
| 90-120k | 2,746 | 17.0% |
| 120-150k | 651 | 15.8% |
| 150k+ | 180 | 16.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 69,830 | 9.4% |
| Diesel | 10,895 | 11.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 15,942 | 7.3% |
| 2022 | 16,128 | 8.8% |
| 2023 | 16,273 | 10.1% |
| 2024 | 16,182 | 10.8% |
| 2025 | 16,213 | 11.5% |
What to check before buying a 2017 Civic
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 4.7% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (4.7% 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.
- Visibility (3.9% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
- Lighting & signalling (2.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
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 2017 Honda Civics pass their MOT?
90.3% of the 80,738 2017 Honda Civic MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 9.7% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2017 Honda Civic?
Tyres, recorded in 4.7% of tests, followed by visibility (3.9%).
Does the 2017 Civic get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 6.0% in the 0-30k band to 16.7% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 80,738 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.