8,028 tests in 2025
Honda Insight reliability and MOT pass rate
77.1% passed first time. The 22.9% fail rate is 0.3 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 15 years old with 113,548 miles.
Pass rate
77.1%
22.6% of all cars failed; 22.9% of these did.
Fixed on the day
9.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
113,548 mi
15 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 28 | — |
| 6-9 years | 31 | — |
| 10-13 years | 1,764 | 18% |
| 14+ years | 6,201 | 24.3% |
What the Insight 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 equipment2 dangerous47.7%
- Suspension24 dangerous37%
- Brakes337 dangerous29.8%
- Tyres401 dangerous23%
- Visibility13.2%
- Body, chassis, structure13 dangerous13.1%
- Steering8 dangerous7.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4%
Is the Insight getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.5 points to 22.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 9,546 | 12 | 18.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 9,130 | 13 | 20.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 7,874 | 14 | 21.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 8,027 | 15 | 22.9% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Insight 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 Insight in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working280 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick191 tests
- 3Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect186 tests
- 4Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively152 tests
- 5Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt150 tests
- 6Headlamp: not working on dipped beam142 tests
- 7Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength137 tests
- 8Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm135 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Insight collects 2.72 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.
- 1Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,117 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,081 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure874 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick800 tests
- 5Headlamp: has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced710 tests
- 6Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn438 tests
- 7Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened377 tests
- 8Registration plates: inscription illegible373 tests
Questions
What is the Honda Insight MOT pass rate?
77.1% of the 8,028 Honda Insight first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 22.9% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 9.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Honda Insight usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 280 failed tests, followed by "Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick" and "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 47.7% of failures, suspension appears in 37% of failures, brakes appears in 29.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 25%; at 14+ years it was 24.3%. The median Honda Insight tested in 2025 was 15 years old with 113,548 miles.
Is the Honda Insight getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.5 points to 22.9% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (5.3 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 Insight 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 8 safety recalls naming the Honda Insight: Honda Insight recalls.
Other Honda models
Checking a particular Insight?
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.