Photo: Ritzel, CC BY 4.0
Honda
1,957 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Cbf 125 M Ms pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 10.1 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
87.6%
Pass-after-fix
4.8%
Fail
6.5%
Avg miles
8,466
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,957 tests
Pass rate climbs 3.1 points across the cohorts — newer Cbf 125 M M examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
84.6%
Fail
1.9%
PRS
13.5%
Avg mileage at test
8,900 mi
Pass
87.8%
Fail
6.8%
PRS
4.3%
Avg mileage at test
8,441 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,957 MOT tests, the Cbf 125 M-M returns 87.6% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Transmission belt, chain and transmission belt, chain round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 8,466, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
38 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
18 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
17 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
10 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
8 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
7 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley so loose or worn it is likely to fail
7 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
7 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
6 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Steering head bearings excessively stiff, notchy, or with excessive wear or play
6 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£68–£130
If every one of this Cbf 125 M M's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 3.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Honda Cbf 125 M M has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
87.8%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 87.8% — a 3.1-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, excessively loose — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
84.6%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 84.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, is fractured and structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and assorted lighting failures. Average mileage on test for this band is 8,900 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (87.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (84.6% pass). That's a 3.1-point spread across 104 older tests and 1,853 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
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Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Cbf 125 M M and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.