Honda Accord MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Honda Accord MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Honda Accord passed on its first attempt in 69.0%, and its overall record sits −5.6 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Honda Accord in the 2023–2025 data: 95,487 tests across 18 model years (2000–2019). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Honda Accord MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Honda Accord, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Honda Accord's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Honda Accord DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Honda Accord, each with how many of the model's 95,487 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 5,851 Honda Accord tests, 6.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 5,685 Honda Accord tests, 6.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 4,025 Honda Accord tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 3,982 Honda Accord tests, 4.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect" (Major) — noted on about 3,623 Honda Accord tests, 3.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 3,566 Honda Accord tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Honda Accord Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Honda Accord model year on record is 2019 (94.7% across 57 tests), and the weakest is 2002 (68.7%). The gap between them is 26.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Honda Accord reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.6 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Honda Accord Owners

These checks follow this Honda Accord's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Honda Accord.

• the lights — “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.

• the windscreen — “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.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint excessively worn”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Honda Accord. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Honda Accord MOT & Reliability