Honda Fit MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 25 model years and 14,492 tests, the Honda Fit passes its MOT 88.9% of the time. All cars of a similar age fail 22.2% of the time, so this is 11.1pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and visibility.
Best and worst Fit years
Ranked across Fit years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2014 (92.8% pass rate); the weakest is 2010 (84.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 10.1% of all tests — 6.5 points clear of suspension, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are rear fog lamp, headlamp aim and position lamp — rear fog lamp alone was recorded 791 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 11.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 21.8% once past 150k.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 5.0pp more often than hybrid ones (14.7% vs 9.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 14.0% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 10.5% of tests failed in 2021 against 12.4% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Fit model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 34 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 45 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 164 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 227 | 80.6% | 19.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 293 | 82.3% | 17.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 1,153 | 84.2% | 15.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 3,370 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 3,520 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 2,080 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 1,614 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 559 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 426 | 93.4% | 6.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 192 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 123 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 100 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 120 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 189 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 65 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 114 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2024 | 40 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 10.1% | 1,464 |
| 2 | Suspension | 3.6% | 525 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.7% | 395 |
| 4 | Tyres | 2.3% | 330 |
| 5 | Brakes | 1.3% | 183 |
| 6 | Steering | 1.1% | 153 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.5% | 67 |
| 8 | Emissions & environmental | 0.4% | 55 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rear fog lamp | 791 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 412 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 380 |
| 4 | Wipers | 317 |
| 5 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 288 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 265 |
| 7 | Ball joint dust cover | 231 |
| 8 | Track rod end | 200 |
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 | 14.0% | 2,022 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.2% | 1,191 |
| 3 | Suspension | 7.4% | 1,076 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.1% | 747 |
| 5 | Steering | 3.2% | 464 |
| 6 | Other defects | 3.0% | 442 |
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 | 1,155 | 11.3% |
| 30-60k | 7,184 | 10.2% |
| 60-90k | 5,139 | 10.8% |
| 90-120k | 785 | 17.1% |
| 120-150k | 160 | 21.9% |
| 150k+ | 55 | 21.8% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 10,577 | 9.7% |
| Petrol | 3,866 | 14.7% |
| Other | 30 | 10.0% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 401 | 10.5% |
| 2022 | 1,122 | 8.8% |
| 2023 | 2,789 | 9.5% |
| 2024 | 4,418 | 10.9% |
| 2025 | 5,762 | 12.4% |
What to check before buying a Honda Fit
- Lighting & signalling (10.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (3.6% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Visibility (2.7% 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.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Honda Fit?
88.9% of the 14,492 Honda Fit MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.1% fail rate, across model years 2001–2025.
What does the Honda Fit most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 10.1% of tests, then suspension (3.6%).
Which Fit years are best and worst for MOT results?
2014 has the best pass rate at 92.8% and 2010 the weakest at 84.2%, from 1,614 and 1,153 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Fit MOT results?
Fail rates run at 11.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 21.8% for 150k+, a 10.6-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Fit more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 9.7% of the time against 14.7% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 14,492 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.