2025 MOT results
Honda HR-V common problems
The most common reason a Honda HR-V fails its MOT is wiper blades that do not clear the screen, on 16.2% of its 4,950 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a leaking damper at 5.6% of failures against 2.6% expected; wiper blades that do not clear the screen at 16.2% of failures against 8.0% expected; worn brake pads at 14.9% of failures against 8.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 38,656 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 12.8% 4,950 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 4.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 38.4% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Honda HR-V MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Honda HR-V 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 |
|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 16.2% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 14.9% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 9.0% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 8.9% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 6.4% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 5.6% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 4.6% |
| Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres | 3.8% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.8% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.6% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.2% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 3.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
16.2% of failures 8.0% expected 2 times as often
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.
-
Worn brake pads
14.9% of failures 8.1% expected 1.8 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
9.0% of failures 9.3% 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.
-
Cut tyre
8.9% of failures 7.3% expected somewhat more often
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Washers that do not work
6.4% of failures 4.7% expected somewhat more often
The washers cannot deliver enough liquid to clean the windscreen with the wipers.
Top the bottle up and check both jets reach the glass; the pump is often fine and the jet blocked.
-
Leaking damper
5.6% of failures 2.6% expected 2.2 times as often
A damper leaking its oil, so it no longer controls the spring.
A wet, dirty streak down the damper body, or a corner that keeps bouncing after you push it down.
Which parts of the car fail
Tyres is the area that most often fails a Honda HR-V, on 28.0% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is visibility, on 25.9% against 16.0% expected.
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 |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 28.0% |
| Visibility | 25.9% |
| Brakes | 22.6% |
| Suspension | 20.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 19.8% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3.8% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
38.4% of Honda HR-V tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Honda HR-Vs, 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 | 13.6% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.7% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 4.0% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 3.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 3.0% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.6% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.0% |
| Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 1.8% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 1.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Honda HR-V gets older
A 2022 Honda HR-V failed 4.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2015 one failed 18.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Honda HR-V 4.7% failed, from 6,322 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 22.7%
- Cut tyre 18.1%
- Headlamp aim set too high 12.7%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.4%
- Headlamp aim set too low 5.7%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 5.0%
2015 Honda HR-V 18.1% failed, from 2,761 tests
- Worn brake pads 13.6%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 11.0%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 10.6%
- Worn suspension bushes 8.4%
- Broken coil spring 7.4%
- Washers that do not work 6.8%
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 HR-V problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Honda HR-V?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively” is the most common: it appears on 16.2% of failed Honda HR-V tests. Across categories, tyres is the area that most often fails one, on 28.0% of failed tests.
How often does a Honda HR-V fail its MOT?
12.8% of Honda HR-V tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 38,656 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 65 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Honda HR-V than on other cars?
Yes. “Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak” appears on 5.6% of its failures against 2.6% for cars of the same age, and “Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively” appears on 16.2% of its failures against 8.0% 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 HR-V 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 | 38,656 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.