Honda Jazz MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 42 model years and 1,950,501 tests, the Honda Jazz passes its MOT 83.9% of the time. Superminis of a similar age fail 22.1% of the time, so this is 6.0pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and suspension.
Best and worst Jazz years
Ranked across Jazz 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 2022 (96.5% pass rate); the weakest is 2002 (72.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (8.9%) and brakes (6.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, wipers and headlamp aim — position lamp alone was recorded 77,442 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 5.4% in the 0-30k band and 30.6% in the 150k+ band, a 25.3-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 11.0pp more often than hybrid ones (16.6% vs 5.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 25.9% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Jazz model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 20,843 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 44,474 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 78,437 | 73.2% | 26.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 111,681 | 72.8% | 27.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 134,495 | 73.9% | 26.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 137,941 | 74.2% | 25.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 137,452 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 147,071 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 132,250 | 82.7% | 17.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 115,280 | 85.8% | 14.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 121,742 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 117,023 | 88.5% | 11.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 108,605 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 96,276 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 98,813 | 92.8% | 7.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 95,547 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 106,497 | 94.6% | 5.4% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 70,399 | 95.4% | 4.6% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 33,804 | 96.0% | 4.0% | Visibility |
| 2021 | 30,008 | 96.1% | 3.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 11,425 | 96.5% | 3.5% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 371 | 97.6% | 2.4% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.9% | 172,900 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.9% | 134,593 |
| 3 | Suspension | 5.4% | 106,127 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.5% | 87,924 |
| 5 | Tyres | 4.0% | 78,455 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.0% | 39,475 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.8% | 35,817 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.6% | 11,306 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 77,442 |
| 2 | Wipers | 72,442 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 66,689 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 51,534 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 48,296 |
| 6 | Rbt (sp) | 44,055 |
| 7 | Service brake performance | 41,667 |
| 8 | Catalyst emissions | 35,908 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 25.9% | 505,539 |
| 2 | Tyres | 24.4% | 475,436 |
| 3 | Suspension | 17.2% | 335,781 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 10.3% | 200,956 |
| 5 | Other defects | 8.2% | 160,789 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.6% | 89,785 |
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 | 441,802 | 5.4% |
| 30-60k | 590,864 | 12.6% |
| 60-90k | 479,208 | 20.4% |
| 90-120k | 285,410 | 25.8% |
| 120-150k | 114,449 | 29.0% |
| 150k+ | 38,385 | 30.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 1,864,664 | 16.6% |
| Hybrid | 80,504 | 5.6% |
| Other | 2,993 | 12.2% |
| Electric | 1,921 | 13.4% |
| Diesel | 411 | 21.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 375,868 | 15.4% |
| 2022 | 385,810 | 15.5% |
| 2023 | 392,184 | 16.3% |
| 2024 | 398,592 | 16.9% |
| 2025 | 398,047 | 16.6% |
What to check before buying a Honda Jazz
- Lighting & signalling (8.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (6.9% 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.
- Suspension (5.4% 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.
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 Jazz?
83.9% of the 1,950,501 Honda Jazz MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.1% fail rate, across model years 1984–2025.
What does the Honda Jazz most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.9% of tests, then brakes (6.9%).
Which Jazz years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 96.5% and 2002 the weakest at 72.2%, from 11,425 and 20,843 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Jazz MOT results?
Fail rates run at 5.4% for cars in the 0-30k band and 30.6% for 150k+, a 25.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Jazz more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 5.6% of the time against 16.6% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,950,501 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.