Honda
2,742 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where SH 125 AD Ls pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 9.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
87.1%
Pass-after-fix
3.6%
Fail
9.0%
Avg miles
33,698
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 · 2,742 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old SH 125 AD L examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
87.7%
Fail
8.7%
PRS
3.5%
Avg mileage at test
37,839 mi
Pass
86.8%
Fail
9.2%
PRS
3.6%
Avg mileage at test
31,510 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 830 MOT tests, the Sh 125 Ad-L returns 86.9% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is brake pads worn below 1.0 mm. Stop lamp(s) remains on when the brakes and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 29,141, 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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Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm
57 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
44 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
A stop lamp(s) remains on when the brakes are released
42 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Steering head bearings excessively stiff, notchy, or with excessive wear or play
20 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
16 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A stop lamp(s) does not illuminate by the operation of both brake controls or remains on when the brakes are released
14 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
13 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
A wheel bearing with excessive play
12 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
11 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements
10 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 5 failures
£246–£515
If every one of this SH 125 AD L'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. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Honda SH 125 AD L makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
87.7%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 87.7% — a 1.0-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.0 mm thick, 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.
Band to be cautious about
86.8%
2021+ registration
On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 86.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: less than 1.0 mm thick, remains on when the brakes are released, and tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 31,510 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (87.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (86.8% pass). That's a 1.0-point spread across 1,796 older tests and 946 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
Item 03 · 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
My Motor World · affiliate
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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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 SH 125 AD L 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.
