Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 526,817 tests

Pass rate climbs 10.7 points across the cohorts — newer Jazz examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 474,775

Pass

75.5%

Fail

18.5%

PRS

5.4%

Avg mileage at test

70,390 mi

2018–2020 cohort 51,809

Pass

91.4%

Fail

5.6%

PRS

2.7%

Avg mileage at test

24,851 mi

2021+ cohort 233

Pass

86.3%

Fail

6.4%

PRS

7.3%

Avg mileage at test

42,858 mi

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

Generations on file · 4

Honda Jazz · UK market

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

The picture

Reliable record, predictable minor niggles

77.84% first-time pass from 387,786 tests puts the Jazz near the top of small-hatchback reliability tables. At an average test mileage of 63,029 it's also relatively young when it rolls through the MOT centre, which flatters the numbers slightly. Headlamp reflector and lens condition is the most frequent failure — a known age-related fault on the Mk3 — followed by the rear number-plate lamp and steering rack gaiter deterioration. One owner flagged an EGR valve as the suspected culprit after a motorway breakdown, though the replacement resolved it. The Jazz doesn't produce dramatic mechanical horror stories; it produces small, preventable faults that a pre-MOT check would catch most of. That's actually the best thing the data can say about a car.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 5–17

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 →

5–17

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

22,757 occurrences · 4.3% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

16,053 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
03

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

13,664 occurrences · 2.6% of tests
04

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

11,750 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
05

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

11,225 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
06

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

9,608 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
07

Wiper blade defective

8,945 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
08

Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

8,888 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
09

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

8,787 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
10

The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

7,062 occurrences · 1.3% 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 4 failures

£178–£515

If every one of this Jazz'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 15.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy Honda Jazz has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

91.4%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 91.4% — a 15.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 24,851 miles — roughly 46K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, does not clear the windscreen effectively — 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

75.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 75.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.4% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: lens slightly defective, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt. Average mileage on test for this band is 70,390 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of self-dipping headlignts of 2017 Honda Jazz no longer working."

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (91.4% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (75.5% pass). That's a 15.9-point spread across 474,775 older tests and 51,809 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

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

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

Item 03 · 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

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

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Hycote

Hycote Honda Nighthawk Black Pearlescent Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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Hycote Honda Milano Red Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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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.

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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

A brilliantly practical and versatile small hatchback, the Honda Jazz has few drawbacks other than its disappointing infotainment set-up.

Where it falls short

A brilliantly practical and versatile small hatchback, the Honda Jazz has few drawbacks other than its disappointing infotainment set-up.

Recent owner-reported faults

24 Apr 2023
Report of a 2017 Honda Jazz breaking down in the live lane of a motorway. Police got the car started but dealer couldn't diagnose the issue. Thought it could be the EGR valve. This has now been replaced and car is running fine.
17 Dec 2019
This is one make of clamp: http://www.catsafe.org.uk/ This is the type recommended by Toyota: https://www.vtstore.co.uk/accessories/security/catloc-catalytic-converter-lock This is Toyota's advice: https://blog.toyota.co.uk/catalytic-converter-theft-how-to-protect-your-car
17 Dec 2019
Complaint about uncomfortable driver's seat in Honda Jazz. "It feels like a plate or mechanism has been installed just below the upholstery making the seats feel like I’m sitting on cinder blocks." That will be the fuel tank that is located beneath the front seats. No solution to this.
9 Aug 2019
Report of problem with TPMS of 2015 Honda Jazz crying wolf on a hot day after a tyre had to be replaced with a new one, so about 7mm v/s about 5mm of the other tyre on the same axle. The heat that driving on a hot summers day puts into the air in a tyre can increase its pressure by up to 3PSI and if that takes it over the set disparity in the TPMS, the alarm goes off. Can sometimes by sorted out with a pump, a gauge and some patience. There may be a software fix to make the system less sensitive and only alarm when a greater disparity is detected. (Turned out there is a software fix that de-sensitises the system slightly to allow for the fitting of non standard tyres.)
21 Jul 2019
Report of radio and hands-free phone of May 2018 Honda Jazz "going wrong" after 3 months. Supplying dealer could not fix it. Dealer refused to replace the radio. Dealer claims that he has not witnessed the radio being faulty, but owner says he has. Once dealer had the car for 2 days tryong to fix it. Suggested letter to dealer principal threatening small claims for the cost of repairing/replacing the radio.
20 Jul 2019
Report of failing acceleration in February 2019 Honda Jazz 1.3i-VTEC CVT-7. C annot get above a speed of 5 to 10 miles per hour. Owner took it in to Honda twice, they checked the electronics and cannot find a fault. There is an Adjustable Speed Limiter which the Honda dealer suggested owner must have pressed. But this cannot be activated below 18mph.
18 Jun 2019
Report of clutch judder since new in 2018 Honda Jazz 1.3iVTEC, now at 1,500 miles. Dealer unwilling to remedy.
30 May 2019
Complaint of a/c failure in 2017 Honda Jazz 1.3iVTEC soon after service. Went back to dealer and was re-gassed. Dealer thought losing gas from condenser but wasn't sure and unable to fix. Reader referred to a/c FAQ: /faq/air-conditioning.
20 May 2019
Complaint of October 2017 Honda Jazz with 8,000 miles cutting out on four recent occasions while waiting at crossroads or traffic lights. "Just dies completely. After 3 to 4 minutes, it will get going again."
24 Feb 2019
Report of intermittent failure of front and rear parking sensors, automatic headlight dip and lane deviation sensors. The faults are intermittent working on occasion then switching off sometimes when driving. Owner took it back 5 times, and the dealer has contacted Honda to try and fix the fault but so far nothing has helped and they are waiting to hear from Honda again.
7 Jan 2019
Report of parking sensor problems with 2017 Honda Jazz 1.5iVTEC Sport CVT-7 now at 16,000 miles. "Randomly they would switch themselves off and pressing the button had no effect. The only way to get them back on was to stop the car and turn the ignition off then back on, and then the manual switch for the sensors would work. As it was random, Honda initially wouldn’t do anything without proof. So owner had to wait until the fault materialised, then drive straight to the dealer and get them to hook up their computer and get the download whilst the car was in fault mode. They obtained a code and replaced the module. Owner had a couple of repeats since, but nothing like it was, and nothing over the last few months.
22 Nov 2018
Report of self-dipping headlignts of 2017 Honda Jazz no longer working.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 20 reports indexed, top 12 shown

Buying or keeping a Jazz?

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 Jazz 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.