1,752 tests in 2025
Honda E reliability and MOT pass rate
92.2% passed first time. The 7.8% fail rate is 14.8 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 4 years old with 17,895 miles.
Pass rate
92.2%
22.6% of all cars failed; 7.8% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
17,895 mi
4 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,743 | 7.7% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the E 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.
- Tyres79 dangerous63.2%
- Visibility32.4%
- Brakes6.6%
- Body, chassis, structure2.2%
- Identification of the vehicle2.2%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment0.7%
- Suspension0.7%
Is the E getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.9 points to 7.7% from 2023 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 779 | 3 | 5.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 1,151 | 4 | 7.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 1,669 | 4 | 7.7% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical E 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 E in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively40 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed26 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords23 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm20 tests
- 5Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure9 tests
- 6Electronic stability control: warning lamp indicates a fault4 tests
- 7Size/type: of different sizes are fitted on the same axle.4 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure4 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical E collects 2.02 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 1.6mm255 tests
- 2Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure118 tests
- 3Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords97 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre41 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm34 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick30 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt29 tests
- 8Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure28 tests
Questions
What is the Honda E MOT pass rate?
92.2% of the 1,752 Honda E first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 7.8% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Honda E usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded on 40 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords". By section, tyres appears in 63.2% of failures, visibility appears in 32.4% of failures, brakes appears in 6.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 7.7%; at 3-5 years it was 7.7%. The median Honda E tested in 2025 was 4 years old with 17,895 miles.
Is the Honda E getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.9 points to 7.7% from 2023 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). 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 E trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Honda models
Checking a particular E?
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.