21,670 tests in 2025
Honda Accord reliability and MOT pass rate
69.2% passed first time. The 30.8% fail rate is 8.2 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 18 years old with 124,239 miles.
Pass rate
69.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 30.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
8.1%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
124,239 mi
18 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 29 | — |
| 6-9 years | 45 | — |
| 10-13 years | 2,025 | 21.1% |
| 14+ years | 19,565 | 31.8% |
What the Accord fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment34 dangerous50.3%
- Suspension405 dangerous44.5%
- Brakes1,051 dangerous33.9%
- Tyres1,540 dangerous21.7%
- Body, chassis, structure102 dangerous16.4%
- Noise, emissions and leaks6 dangerous15.6%
- Visibility3 dangerous14.7%
- Steering25 dangerous7.6%
Is the Accord getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 30.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0.6 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 34,325 | 16 | 30.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 30,244 | 16 | 30.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 23,896 | 17 | 31.6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 21,667 | 18 | 30.8% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Accord at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Accord in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working1,160 tests
- 2Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect1,015 tests
- 3Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,001 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn680 tests
- 5Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick654 tests
- 6Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements570 tests
- 7Headlamp: not working on dipped beam522 tests
- 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively485 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Accord collects 3.31 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm4,042 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn3,559 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,601 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,413 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,883 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,624 tests
- 7Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn1,436 tests
- 8Headlamp: has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced1,424 tests
Questions
What is the Honda Accord MOT pass rate?
69.2% of the 21,670 Honda Accord first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 30.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 8.1% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Honda Accord usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 1,160 failed tests, followed by "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect" and "Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 50.3% of failures, suspension appears in 44.5% of failures, brakes appears in 33.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 13.8%; at 14+ years it was 31.8%. The median Honda Accord tested in 2025 was 18 years old with 124,239 miles.
Is the Honda Accord getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 30.8% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (0.6 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Accord trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 15 safety recalls naming the Honda Accord: Honda Accord recalls.
Other Honda models
Checking a particular Accord?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.