5,654 tests in 2025
Honda Fr-V reliability and MOT pass rate
63.8% passed first time. The 36.2% fail rate is 13.6 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 18 years old with 127,982 miles.
Pass rate
63.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 36.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
9.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
127,982 mi
18 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 0 | — |
| 6-9 years | 14 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 5,640 | 36.2% |
What the Fr-V 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.
- Suspension135 dangerous52.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment5 dangerous44.5%
- Brakes295 dangerous28.3%
- Tyres549 dangerous25%
- Body, chassis, structure38 dangerous23.1%
- Noise, emissions and leaks3 dangerous15.4%
- Visibility1 dangerous12.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems7.7%
Is the Fr-V getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 36.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.4 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9,466 | 15 | 33.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 8,327 | 16 | 34.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 6,458 | 17 | 35.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 5,653 | 18 | 36.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Fr-V 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 Fr-V in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength410 tests
- 2Position lamp: not working373 tests
- 3Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn260 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick232 tests
- 5Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect220 tests
- 6Condition: has ply or cords exposed187 tests
- 7Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn178 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm168 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Fr-V collects 3.84 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 1.6mm1,301 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,048 tests
- 3Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened960 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick690 tests
- 5Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened594 tests
- 6Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn594 tests
- 7Headlamp: has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced558 tests
- 8Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine475 tests
Questions
What is the Honda Fr-V MOT pass rate?
63.8% of the 5,654 Honda Fr-V first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 36.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 9.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Honda Fr-V usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", recorded on 410 failed tests, followed by "Position lamp: not working" and "Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn". By section, suspension appears in 52.3% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 44.5% of failures, brakes appears in 28.3% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was n/a%; at 14+ years it was 36.2%. The median Honda Fr-V tested in 2025 was 18 years old with 127,982 miles.
Is the Honda Fr-V getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.8 points to 36.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.4 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 Fr-V 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 4 safety recalls naming the Honda Fr-V: Honda Fr-V recalls.
Other Honda models
Checking a particular Fr-V?
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.