Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 55,876 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old HR V examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 34,035

Pass

85.7%

Fail

10.6%

PRS

3.4%

Avg mileage at test

58,689 mi

2018–2020 cohort 21,662

Pass

92.4%

Fail

4.9%

PRS

2.4%

Avg mileage at test

30,495 mi

2021+ cohort 179

Pass

86.0%

Fail

6.2%

PRS

7.8%

Avg mileage at test

22,879 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Honda HR V · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Honda HR V: solid MOT record across 35,506 tests

The Honda HR-V is a subcompact crossover SUV (C-segment) manufactured and marketed by Honda over three generations.

MOT data from 35,506 tests puts this car on an 88.1% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 43,695 miles. The most common fail item is brake pads worn below 1.5mm, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

Low running costs and a much improved interior mean the Honda HR-V is more desirable than ever. Is it good enough to justify that high purchase price, though?.

For used buyers, the HR V's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 16–25

Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. 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 →

16–25

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

804 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
02

Wiper blade defective

615 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

576 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
04

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

574 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
05

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

556 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
06

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

502 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
07

A tyre seriously damaged

412 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
08

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

340 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
09

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

255 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
10

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

242 occurrences · 0.4% 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 4 failures

£180–£345

If every one of this HR V'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 6.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Honda HR V has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

92.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 92.4% — a 6.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 30,495 miles — roughly 28K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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

85.7%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 85.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: less than 1.5 mm thick, lens slightly defective, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 58,689 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (92.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (85.7% pass). That's a 6.8-point spread across 34,035 older tests and 21,662 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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

Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades

Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Draper

Draper Drain Plug Key, 3/8 Square x 3/8 Sq. Dr.

£15.39

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Honda Nighthawk Black Pearlescent Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Honda Milano Red Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Honda Satin Silver Metallic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

What's good

Cheap to run. Versatile interior with clever Magic Seats. Superb infotainment system. Likely to be reliable.

Where it falls short

Noisy and unrefined (particularly at motorway speeds). Expensive to buy. Small boot.

Buying or keeping an HR V?

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 an HR V 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.