Photo: Ritzel, CC BY 4.0
Honda
1,302 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Cmx 500 A Xs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.8%
Pass-after-fix
2.9%
Fail
4.1%
Avg miles
8,515
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 · 1,302 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.2 points across the cohorts — newer Cmx 500 A X examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
92.3%
Fail
4.0%
PRS
3.6%
Avg mileage at test
8,958 mi
Pass
93.5%
Fail
4.2%
PRS
1.8%
Avg mileage at test
7,793 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,083 MOT tests, the Cmx 500 A-X returns 92.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brake pads worn below 1.0 mm. A non-functioning shock absorber and rate of flashing not between 60 round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 7,423, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
10–26
out of 50
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A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
10 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
9 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
5 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
A lamp missing or inoperative
4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre not fitted in accordance with the direction of rotation marked on the side wall
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley so loose or worn it is likely to fail
2 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
2 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear
2 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
Number plate showing an incorrect registration
2 occurrences · 0.2% 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
£140–£255
If every one of this Cmx 500 A X'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 1.2-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Honda Cmx 500 A X makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
93.5%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 93.5% — a 1.2-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.0 mm thick, excessively loose — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
92.3%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 92.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, less than 1.0 mm thick, and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 8,958 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (93.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (92.3% pass). That's a 1.2-point spread across 806 older tests and 496 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
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · 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
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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 Cmx 500 A X 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.