Pass rate
72.1%
Below average — 0.5 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 6,088 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £24–£69
2003 Honda Accord MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 126,932 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
28.7% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
0.8 pts up across model years — 3.6% in 2000, 4.4% in 2014.
Which year to buy
- Best 2019 94.7% pass
- Avoid 2002 68.7% pass
Across the 18 years on record, a spread of 26 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.9%
- Typical mileage
- 127k mi
The 2003 Honda Accord MOT pass rate is 72.1% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.7% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Honda Accord does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.4× the national share
Suspension accounts for 28.7% of everything recorded on the 2003 Honda Accord, against 21.0% nationally — 7.7 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Honda Accord? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Honda Accord compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 0.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.9%. The median 2003 Honda Accord in this dataset had covered 126,932 mi.
99% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 72.1% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 71.6% of the time, April–September 72.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 7.54% of tests.
- 6,088 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.1% overall pass rate, 63.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Honda Accord, the average is 75.4% — best year 2019 (94.7%), worst 2002 (68.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 6,088
- Typical mileage (median)
- 126,932 mi
- Make and model
- Honda Accord
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Accord MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 60% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (99% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Accord
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 1,532 | 76.6% |
| East of England | 1,232 | 65.7% |
| South West | 757 | 66.8% |
| London | 507 | 82.6% |
| North West | 504 | 73.0% |
| West Midlands | 432 | 75.5% |
| East Midlands | 345 | 74.5% |
| Yorkshire | 294 | 72.1% |
| Scotland | 202 | 65.8% |
| Wales | 186 | 64.0% |
| North East | 97 | 67.0% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 Accord
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 Accord
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 7.5% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the suspension joints 5.9% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the windscreen 5.3% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 Accord through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £24–£69 — and 44% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £24–£69
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 44%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 6,088 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Accord, side by side
18 model years on record, from 2000 to 2019. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.7% to 94.7% — a spread of 26 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 69.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2001 69.5% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 68.7% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2003 72.1%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 73.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 74.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 74.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 76.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 77.8% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2010 80.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2011 80.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2012 81.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 81.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 84.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 89.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 87.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 94.7% windscreen damaged but not…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Honda Accord with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class 72.2%
- Smart Mcc City 72.2%
- Ford Fusion 71.9%
- Ford Ranger 71.9%
- Audi A3 72.3%
- Mercedes-Benz Ml 72.3%
Closest pass rates among 2003 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Honda Accord 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 19,569 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 5,719 | 28.70% | 20.98% | +7.72 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3,492 | 17.50% | 12.21% | +5.29 |
| Brakes | 3,249 | 16.30% | 20.89% | −4.59 |
| Tyres | 2,367 | 11.90% | 19.76% | −7.86 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 1,398 | 7.00% | 5.57% | +1.43 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1,184 | 5.90% | 5.52% | +0.38 |
| Visibility | 875 | 4.40% | 4.97% | −0.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 539 | 2.70% | 1.76% | +0.94 |
| Non-component advisories | 401 | 2.00% | 4.18% | −2.18 |
| Steering | 345 | 1.70% | 2.57% | −0.87 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.5% | £5–20 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.2% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 5.9% | £18–45 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 5.3% | £80–200 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 5.2% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.7% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.6% | £40–150 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.2% | £30–80 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.9% | £3–12 |
| Battery(ies) insecure but not likely to fall from carrier Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.8% | £60–140 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 24.5% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 20.0% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 15.2% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 12.5% | £18–45 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.6% | £18–45 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.2% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 17 | 88.2% | 25,473 mi |
| 30-60k | 247 | 81.8% | 48,790 mi |
| 60-90k | 847 | 78.3% | 77,706 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,570 | 74.6% | 105,779 mi |
| 120k+ | 3,358 | 68.6% | 158,088 mi |
Source: 6,088 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 Accord MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Honda Accord?
72.1% of the 6,088 2003 Honda Accord tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 63.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Honda Accord?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (7.54%), headlamp lens slightly defective (7.15%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (5.93%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Honda Accord MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 88.2% of the time, falling to 68.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Honda Accord in this dataset had covered 126,932 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Honda Accord?
Petrol: 72.1% pass rate across 6,045 tests. Diesel: 67.9% pass rate across 28 tests. LPG: 57.1% pass rate across 14 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Honda Accord MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 71.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.