Honda
8,068 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where NCs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 12.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
89.8%
Pass-after-fix
3.0%
Fail
7.0%
Avg miles
21,127
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 8,018 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.6 points across the cohorts — newer NC examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
89.1%
Fail
7.6%
PRS
3.0%
Avg mileage at test
23,137 mi
Pass
91.7%
Fail
5.2%
PRS
3.0%
Avg mileage at test
14,838 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 6,291 MOT tests, the Nc returns 90.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-functioning shock absorber. Tyre tread under the limit and wheel bearing with excessive play round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 19,703, 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
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A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely
120 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A wheel bearing with excessive play
91 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
81 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
72 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
25 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution
23 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A transmission belt, chain, sprocket or pulley excessively loose or worn
21 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake
19 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A wheel bearing excessively rough
17 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A wheel bearing play so excessive it is likely to break up or directional control impaired
16 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 NC'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.6-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Honda NC makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
91.7%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 91.7% — a 2.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 14,838 miles — roughly 8K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a serious fluid leak, tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm — 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
89.1%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 89.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 91.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, has excessive play, and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 23,137 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (91.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (89.1% pass). That's a 2.6-point spread across 6,145 older tests and 1,873 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
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
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Draper
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Hycote
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.
Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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 an NC 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.
