Honda Jazz MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Honda Jazz MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Honda Jazz passed on its first attempt in 80.5%, and its overall record sits +2.3 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Honda Jazz in the 2023–2025 data: 1,163,951 tests across 22 model years (2002–2023). 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 Jazz MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Honda Jazz, 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 Jazz's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Honda Jazz DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Honda Jazz, each with how many of the model's 1,163,951 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 43,078 Honda Jazz tests, 3.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 39,621 Honda Jazz tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 35,146 Honda Jazz tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt" (Minor) — noted on about 23,306 Honda Jazz tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 21,916 Honda Jazz tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 19,490 Honda Jazz tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Honda Jazz Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Honda Jazz model year on record is 2023 (97.7% across 304 tests), and the weakest is 2002 (71.6%). The gap between them is 26.1 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Honda Jazz 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.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Honda Jazz Owners

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

• 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 — “track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or 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.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

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

Where the Honda Jazz is most common

Across every Jazz model year on record (2002–2023): 463,721 Honda Jazz cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 1,163,881 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 16,399 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.

The twenty areas with the most Honda Jazz 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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Honda Jazz MOT & Reliability