MOT cost .
Honda Unclassified
MOT 2024

Photo: Frederick Marriott, Public domain

Honda

Unclassified

9,287 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Unclassifieds pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 5.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

83.2%

Pass-after-fix

6.8%

Fail

9.5%

Avg miles

36,061

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

ULEZ borderline — check VRM

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 .

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 9,287 tests

Pass rate climbs 3.9 points across the cohorts — newer Unclassified examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 8,789

Pass

83.0%

Fail

9.5%

PRS

7.0%

Avg mileage at test

36,118 mi

2018–2020 cohort 391

Pass

87.0%

Fail

8.7%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

40,302 mi

2021+ cohort 107

Pass

86.9%

Fail

12.2%

PRS

0.9%

Avg mileage at test

14,984 mi

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

The picture

Unclassified: above-average pass rates, with caveats

Across 5,669 MOT tests, the Unclassified returns 83.4% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a non-functioning shock absorber. Tyre tread under the limit and a stop-lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 34,527, 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

Group 10–26

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

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely

    69 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

  2. 02

    Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated

    68 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

  3. 03

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

    53 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  4. 04

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    48 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  5. 05

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    47 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  6. 06

    Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

    42 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  7. 07

    Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

    36 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  8. 08

    Reflector missing or reflecting white to the rear

    36 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  9. 09

    A lamp missing or inoperative

    35 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  10. 10

    Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake

    34 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

£228–£610

If every one of this Unclassified'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 4.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Honda Unclassified has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

87.0%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 87.0% — a 4.0-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, ball joint excessively worn — 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

83.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 83.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, and not working. Average mileage on test for this band is 36,118 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (87.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (83.0% pass). That's a 4.0-point spread across 8,789 older tests and 391 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

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 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

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

Draper

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Hycote Honda Nighthawk Black Pearlescent Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

Hycote

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Hycote Honda Milano Red Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

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Hycote Honda Satin Silver Metallic Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

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.

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Buying or keeping an Unclassified?

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 Unclassified 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.