Honda Jazz MOT failure rate and common faults
323,015 Honda Jazz cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 24.6% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 31.5% of the time, which makes the Honda Jazz 22% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
24.6%
failed first time
323,015 MOT tests in 2025
-22%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 31.5%
42 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
87.2
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 113.7
What fails on a Honda Jazz MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Honda Jazz MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 50.6 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 37.2 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 28.6 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 22.2 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 21.3 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 21.2 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 16.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 16.2 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 14.6 |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding | Brakes | 14.3 |
Honda Jazz MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 10,693 | 6.0% | 11.4% | 17,300 |
| 2021 | 14,500 | 7.2% | 12.8% | 22,400 |
| 2020 | 10,689 | 8.5% | 14.1% | 24,800 |
| 2019 | 16,761 | 9.7% | 16.5% | 28,400 |
| 2018 | 20,167 | 10.8% | 19.1% | 34,900 |
| 2017 | 17,915 | 12.2% | 21.8% | 38,500 |
| 2016 | 18,368 | 13.5% | 25.1% | 43,500 |
| 2015 | 17,745 | 16.4% | 28.1% | 48,800 |
| 2014 | 20,081 | 18.8% | 31.4% | 55,400 |
| 2013 | 21,142 | 22.2% | 34.3% | 62,400 |
| 2012 | 21,503 | 24.6% | 36.6% | 68,300 |
| 2011 | 19,913 | 27.1% | 38.8% | 74,500 |
| 2010 | 21,562 | 32.7% | 40.7% | 82,100 |
| 2009 | 23,144 | 35.9% | 41.8% | 85,200 |
| 2008 | 19,230 | 44.1% | 42.9% | 85,900 |
| 2007 | 18,498 | 44.1% | 42.7% | 87,600 |
| 2006 | 17,393 | 45.2% | 43.0% | 90,400 |
| 2005 | 13,711 | 46.5% | 42.4% | 95,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Honda Jazz's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Honda Jazz, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing197.5
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge189.2
- Brake pads: wearing thin120.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened110.5
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material79.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement61.8
Checking a used Honda Jazz before you buy
The Honda Jazz has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Fuel mix of the Honda Jazz cars tested: Petrol 89%, Hybrid 11%. Average age at test 12.0 years, average recorded mileage 60,700.
Honda Jazz MOT questions
What is the Honda Jazz MOT failure rate?
24.6% of Honda Jazz cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 323,015 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 31.5% of the time, so the Honda Jazz was 22% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Honda Jazz MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 170 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 50.6 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Honda Jazz year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 6.0% failed against an average of 11.4% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Honda Jazz will pass?
No. These are averages across every Honda Jazz tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Honda models
- Honda Civic31.6% failed
- Honda CR-V23.8% failed
- Honda HR-V11.8% failed
Ranked close to the Honda Jazz
- Mercedes-Benz GLCrank 39
- Range Rover Evoquerank 40
- Jaguar E-Pacerank 41
- BMW X3rank 43
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Honda Jazz cars of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.