MOT cost .
Honda Vfr
MOT 2024

Photo: Stultz, J United States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Research and Test Center (U.S.), Public domain

Honda

Vfr

5,593 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Vfrs pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 15.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

92.7%

Pass-after-fix

2.5%

Fail

4.4%

Avg miles

19,931

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

Motorcycle →
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 · 5,593 tests

Pass rate climbs 3.7 points across the cohorts — newer Vfr examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 4,170

Pass

92.1%

Fail

4.7%

PRS

2.9%

Avg mileage at test

22,844 mi

2018–2020 cohort 1,233

Pass

94.4%

Fail

3.3%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

11,190 mi

2021+ cohort 190

Pass

95.8%

Fail

3.2%

PRS

1.1%

Avg mileage at test

12,552 mi

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

The picture

Vfr: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 4,001 MOT tests, the Vfr returns 92.8% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is tyre tread under the limit. Brake pads worn below 1.0 mm and a non-functioning shock absorber round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 18,563, 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

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    31 occurrences · 0.6% of tests

  2. 02

    Brake lining or pad worn below 1.0mm

    30 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  3. 03

    A shock absorber not functioning or leaking severely

    25 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  4. 04

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

    20 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

  5. 05

    Brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    11 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  6. 06

    A wheel bearing excessively rough

    10 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  7. 07

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

    9 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  8. 08

    A wheel bearing with excessive play

    9 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  9. 09

    Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution

    9 occurrences · 0.2% of tests

  10. 10

    Steering head bearings excessively stiff, notchy, or with excessive wear or play

    7 occurrences · 0.1% 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 Vfr'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 3.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Honda Vfr has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

95.8%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 95.8% — a 3.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 12,552 miles — roughly 10K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: excessively binding, indicates excessive fluctuation of brake effort — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

92.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 92.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a serious fluid leak, tread depth is below minimum requirements of 1.0mm, and less than 1.0 mm thick. Average mileage on test for this band is 22,844 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (95.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (92.1% pass). That's a 3.7-point spread across 4,170 older tests and 190 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

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

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

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

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Hycote Honda Nighthawk Black Pearlescent Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

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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

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£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 a Vfr?

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 Vfr 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.