2025 MOT results
Honda Civic common problems
The most common reason a Honda Civic fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 16.3% of its 85,650 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: headlamp aim out of line at 11.8% of failures against 6.4% expected; a leaking damper at 6.3% of failures against 3.5% expected; worn brake pads at 8.1% of failures against 5.3% expected.
- Tests in 2025 260,589 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 32.9% 85,650 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.5% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 56.8% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Honda Civic MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Honda Civic tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 16.3% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.8% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.1% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 8.1% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.9% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.5% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 6.3% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.0% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 4.9% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 4.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Sidelight out
16.3% of failures 11.0% expected 1.5 times as often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
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Headlamp aim out of line
11.8% of failures 6.4% expected 1.8 times as often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Brake light out
10.1% of failures 7.9% expected somewhat more often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Worn brake pads
8.1% of failures 5.3% expected 1.5 times as often
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
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Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.7% of failures 7.2% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
6.9% of failures 6.2% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Honda Civic, on 52.8% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 43.0%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 52.8% |
| Suspension | 32.6% |
| Brakes | 23.8% |
| Tyres | 19.3% |
| Visibility | 16.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.9% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.1% |
| Steering | 6.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
56.8% of Honda Civic tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Honda Civics, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 10.5% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 10.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.9% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 5.8% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 5.6% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 5.1% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 4.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.7% |
| Headlamp: product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.8% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Honda Civic gets older
A 2021 Honda Civic failed 12.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2001 one failed 44.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2021 Honda Civic 12.0% failed, from 4,891 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 38.1%
- Worn brake pads 15.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 14.2%
- Cut tyre 9.7%
- Washers that do not work 6.3%
- Headlamp aim set too high 5.3%
2001 Honda Civic 44.1% failed, from 3,755 tests
- Sidelight out 16.6%
- Brake light out 15.6%
- Structural corrosion 13.6%
- Headlamp aim out of line 11.0%
- Worn suspension bushes 10.1%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 8.7%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Honda Civic problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Honda Civic?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 16.3% of failed Honda Civic tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 52.8% of failed tests.
How often does a Honda Civic fail its MOT?
32.9% of Honda Civic tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 260,589 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 51 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Honda Civic than on other cars?
Yes. “Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect” appears on 11.8% of its failures against 6.4% for cars of the same age, and “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 6.3% of its failures against 3.5% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Honda Civic aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 260,589 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.