2019 Honda Civic — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2019 Honda Civic passed 92.3% of its 55,919 recorded MOT tests. Small family cars of a similar age fail 9.6% of the time, so this is 1.8pp better than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in tyres, visibility and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.9%) and visibility (3.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, tread depth and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 1,555 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 5.1% in the 0-30k band and 15.9% in the 150k+ band, a 10.8-point spread — more than double.
The petrol cars hold up better: 7.1% fail against 10.4% for diesel, a 3.2-point gap across 55,895 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 21.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 5.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 10.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.9% | 2,185 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.5% | 1,952 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.4% | 1,358 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 2.0% | 1,132 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.4% | 218 |
| 6 | Suspension | 0.2% | 117 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 1,555 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 1,482 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 1,419 |
| 4 | Washers | 940 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 584 |
| 6 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 308 |
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 | 21.6% | 12,093 |
| 2 | Brakes | 13.9% | 7,792 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.8% | 3,226 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.0% | 1,661 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.2% | 693 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 0.9% | 500 |
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 | 26,716 | 5.1% |
| 30-60k | 23,452 | 9.6% |
| 60-90k | 4,757 | 12.4% |
| 90-120k | 790 | 13.8% |
| 120-150k | 159 | 15.1% |
| 150k+ | 44 | 15.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 45,578 | 7.1% |
| Diesel | 10,317 | 10.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 874 | 5.7% |
| 2022 | 13,784 | 5.2% |
| 2023 | 13,747 | 6.9% |
| 2024 | 13,689 | 9.1% |
| 2025 | 13,825 | 10.0% |
What to check before buying a 2019 Civic
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.9% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (3.9% 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 (3.5% 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.
- Brakes (2.4% 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 2019 Honda Civics pass their MOT?
92.3% of the 55,919 2019 Honda Civic MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 7.8% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2019 Honda Civic?
Tyres, recorded in 3.9% of tests, followed by visibility (3.5%).
Does the 2019 Civic get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.1% in the 0-30k band to 15.9% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 55,919 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.