Honda Insight MOT pass rate & common failures
54,179 MOT tests on the Honda Insight (2000–2024) give it an 83.2% pass rate. Against small family cars of a similar age (23.2% fail rate), the Insight comes out 6.4pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Insight years
Ranked across Insight 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 (89.0% pass rate); the weakest is 2009 (80.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 13.2% of tests against 5.6% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp, position lamp and headlamp aim — headlamp alone was recorded 3,049 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 18.4% versus 10.8%.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 16.0% fail against 17.7% for petrol, a 1.8-point gap across 37,763 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.3% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 14.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.1% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Insight model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 230 | 79.6% | 20.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 361 | 76.7% | 23.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 177 | 84.2% | 15.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 12,626 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 16,810 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 10,534 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 8,096 | 86.7% | 13.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 2,898 | 87.0% | 13.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 1,616 | 89.0% | 11.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 127 | 78.7% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 110 | 86.4% | 13.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 36 | 91.7% | 8.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 45 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 126 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 160 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 101 | 82.2% | 17.8% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 13.2% | 7,155 |
| 2 | Suspension | 5.6% | 3,046 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.3% | 2,855 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.9% | 2,664 |
| 5 | Visibility | 4.2% | 2,251 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.7% | 915 |
| 7 | Steering | 1.1% | 589 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.7% | 389 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp | 3,049 |
| 2 | Position lamp | 2,864 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 2,135 |
| 4 | Wipers | 1,748 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 1,440 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 1,290 |
| 7 | Tread depth | 1,248 |
| 8 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 900 |
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 | 24.3% | 13,165 |
| 2 | Brakes | 24.2% | 13,089 |
| 3 | Suspension | 17.1% | 9,274 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 15.3% | 8,263 |
| 5 | Other defects | 9.6% | 5,186 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.2% | 3,381 |
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 | 1,412 | 10.8% |
| 30-60k | 7,628 | 12.5% |
| 60-90k | 12,303 | 15.9% |
| 90-120k | 11,076 | 18.1% |
| 120-150k | 8,032 | 18.2% |
| 150k+ | 13,628 | 18.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 23,245 | 16.0% |
| Petrol | 14,518 | 17.7% |
| Other | 8,244 | 17.4% |
| Electric | 8,085 | 16.6% |
| Diesel | 81 | 16.1% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11,628 | 14.2% |
| 2022 | 11,146 | 15.8% |
| 2023 | 10,817 | 17.3% |
| 2024 | 10,430 | 17.8% |
| 2025 | 10,158 | 19.1% |
What to check before buying a Honda Insight
- Lighting & signalling (13.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (5.6% 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.
- Brakes (5.3% 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
What is the MOT pass rate for the Honda Insight?
83.2% of the 54,179 Honda Insight MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.8% fail rate, across model years 2000–2024.
What does the Honda Insight most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 13.2% of tests, then suspension (5.6%).
Which Insight years are best and worst for MOT results?
2014 has the best pass rate at 89.0% and 2009 the weakest at 80.3%, from 1,616 and 12,626 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Insight MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 18.4% for 150k+, a 7.7-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Insight more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 16.0% of the time against 17.7% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 54,179 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.