Pass rate, every year
27,466 tests across 7 model years, 2004–2010.
−8.5 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
27,466 tests across 7 model years, 2004–2010.
−8.5 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2009 75.6%
The strongest of the 7 years on record. See the 2009 page →
Worst year to buy
2004 70.4%
5.2 points below the 2009 peak. See the 2004 page →
The Honda Fr-V MOT pass rate is 72.5%, −8.5 percentage points below the UK average. That is 27,466 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2004 and 2010. This page lists the most common Honda Fr-V MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The Honda Fr-V passed on its first attempt in 64.5%, and its overall record sits −8.5 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Honda Fr-V in the 2023–2025 data: 27,466 tests across 7 model years (2004–2010). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 27,466 |
| Overall pass rate | 72.5% |
| Passed on first attempt | 64.5% |
| Average mileage at test | 125,414 mi |
| Model years covered | 2004–2010 (7 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −8.5 pts below |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Honda Fr-V, 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.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 40% |
| Suspension | 33% |
| Steering | 15% |
| Visibility | 6% |
| Brakes | 5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2% |
Shares are over the Honda Fr-V's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 40% of the recorded Honda Fr-V failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (8.8%), "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (7.3%), "Position lamp not working" (5.2%) among the Honda Fr-V's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 33% of the recorded Honda Fr-V failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (8.5%), "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength" (5.2%), "Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn" (3.4%) among the Honda Fr-V's suspension faults.
Around 15% of the recorded Honda Fr-V failures fall in the Steering section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (8.3%) among the Honda Fr-V's steering faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Honda Fr-V, each with how many of the model's 27,466 tests it was noted on.
The 8 biggest of 19 failure items this model records at least 1.5 times the UK rate for.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end dust cover damaged | 8.3% | 0.7% | 11.9× | £18–£45 |
| Component mounting: prescribed area excessively corroded | 12.4% | 1.1% | 11.3× | £180–£450 |
| Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced | 9.0% | 1.0% | 9.0× | £5–£25 |
| Integral structure corroded | 5.0% | 0.6% | 8.3× | £180–£450 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective | 7.3% | 0.9% | 8.1× | £5–£25 |
| Linkage ball joint excessively worn | 14.2% | 1.8% | 7.9× | £18–£45 |
| Chassis corroded | 3.3% | 0.5% | 6.6× | £180–£450 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 8.5% | 1.3% | 6.5× | £18–£45 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (27,466 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items Fr-V records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Honda Fr-V model year on record is 2009 (75.6% across 4,551 tests), and the weakest is 2004 (70.4%). The gap between them is 5.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Honda Fr-V reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 Fr-V | 288 | 73.3% |
| 2009 Fr-V | 4,551 | 75.6% |
| 2008 Fr-V | 6,465 | 72.9% |
| 2007 Fr-V | 6,358 | 73.0% |
| 2006 Fr-V | 5,356 | 70.5% |
| 2005 Fr-V | 3,894 | 70.6% |
| 2004 Fr-V | 554 | 70.4% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Honda Fr-V's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Honda Fr-V.
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 suspension joints — “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.
corrosion — “component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Honda Fr-V. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every Fr-V model year on record (2004–2010): 10,674 Honda Fr-V cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 27,466 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 685 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 685 | 82.1% |
| 2 | London (E) | 258 | 85.7% |
| 3 | London (N) | 237 | 80.1% |
| 4 | Bristol (BS) | 229 | 64.9% |
| 5 | Manchester (M) | 210 | 72.6% |
| 6 | London (SE) | 209 | 80.5% |
| 7 | Leicester (LE) | 202 | 78.1% |
| 8 | Reading (RG) | 188 | 72.1% |
| 9 | Portsmouth (PO) | 185 | 66.9% |
| 10 | London (NW) | 177 | 78.3% |
| 11 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 171 | 75.6% |
| 12 | Croydon (CR) | 166 | 81.5% |
| 13 | Wembley (HA) | 164 | 79.0% |
| 14 | Brighton (BN) | 163 | 66.0% |
| 15 | High Wycombe (HP) | 162 | 75.4% |
| 16 | Hayes (UB) | 162 | 81.2% |
| 17 | Slough (SL) | 155 | 79.9% |
| 18 | Sheffield (S) | 154 | 75.3% |
| 19 | Nottingham (NG) | 151 | 69.9% |
| 20 | Guildford (GU) | 149 | 72.2% |
The twenty areas with the most Honda Fr-V cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
72.5% of the 27,466 recorded Honda Fr-V MOT tests ended in a pass, −8.5 percentage points below the national average. 64.5% of those passed on the first attempt.
2009 is the strongest Honda Fr-V year on record at 75.6%, while 2004 is the weakest at 70.4%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Honda Fr-V failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" — together around 17% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.