2020 Honda Civic — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2020 Honda Civic passed 92.9% of its 18,411 recorded MOT tests. Against small family cars of a similar age (8.9% fail rate), the 2020 Civic comes out 1.8pp better. Failures cluster in tyres, visibility and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.4%) and visibility (3.2%) 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 488 times.
Mileage matters less than usual here: the 2020 Civic fails 5.1% of the time in the 0-30k band and 5.7% at 120-150k, a spread of only 0.5 points.
The petrol cars hold up better: 6.7% fail against 8.6% for diesel, a 1.9-point gap across 18,375 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 20.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.4% | 617 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.2% | 591 |
| 3 | Brakes | 2.1% | 381 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 1.8% | 322 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.4% | 68 |
| 6 | Suspension | 0.2% | 38 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 488 |
| 2 | Tread depth | 401 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 385 |
| 4 | Washers | 259 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 178 |
| 6 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 70 |
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 | 20.3% | 3,728 |
| 2 | Brakes | 13.0% | 2,396 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.1% | 944 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.2% | 588 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.6% | 290 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 0.5% | 100 |
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 | 10,723 | 5.1% |
| 30-60k | 6,456 | 9.4% |
| 60-90k | 985 | 11.2% |
| 90-120k | 174 | 13.8% |
| 120-150k | 53 | 5.7% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 15,027 | 6.7% |
| Diesel | 3,348 | 8.6% |
| Hybrid | 33 | 21.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 77 | 10.4% |
| 2022 | 319 | 6.0% |
| 2023 | 6,034 | 5.2% |
| 2024 | 5,936 | 7.0% |
| 2025 | 6,045 | 9.0% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Civic
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.4% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (3.4% 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 (3.2% 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 (2.1% 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 2020 Honda Civics pass their MOT?
92.9% of the 18,411 2020 Honda Civic MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 7.1% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Honda Civic?
Tyres, recorded in 3.4% of tests, followed by visibility (3.2%).
Does the 2020 Civic get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.1% in the 0-30k band to 5.7% in the 120-150k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 18,411 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.