How reliable is the Honda Accord compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Accord, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 61.3% across 22,892 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Honda Accord?

The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 22.6% of failed Honda Accord tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Honda Accord?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.5% of all Honda Accord tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Honda Accord usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 126,498 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Honda Accord years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Honda Accord cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 77.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 59.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Honda Accord get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 77.6% of Honda Accord tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Honda Accord models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Accord cars tested, 62% are petrol, 38% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Accord MOT pass rate & common failures

From 22,892 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Accord, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 22,892 MOT tests, 61.3% of Honda Accord tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Honda Accord fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, which appears in 22.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 126,498 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

61.3%unadjusted, not comparable22,892 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Accord. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 22,892 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Honda Accord tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements22.6%
1,592 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning20.9%
1,470 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.2%
1,068 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.3%
796 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired10.6%
746 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.0%
701 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.0%
633 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.9%
624 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement8.5%
596 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
10.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED8.3%
587 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Accord tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements27.5%
6,298 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn19.2%
4,406 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.1%
3,675 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.5%
3,094 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged12.4%
2,831 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow8.6%
1,966 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.4%
1,701 tests
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded7.3%
1,671 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Honda Accord

The 20 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Honda Accord common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Accord, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Accord common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Accord pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Honda Accord passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 9 to 11 was first used in 2014–2016.

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201678%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201371%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier59%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Accord outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Accord fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 126,498
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol61.5%
Diesel38.1%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

ACCORD 2.0 HYBRID EX CVT ADAS 197BHP
ACCORD 2.0 HYBRID EX E-CVT ADAS 197BHP

Check a specific Honda Accord

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Honda models

Honda Jazz — 75.5% adjusted
Honda Civic — 74.8% adjusted
Honda Cr-V — 80.3% adjusted
Honda Hr-V — 78.6% adjusted
Honda Insight — 67.7% unadjusted
Honda Fr-V — 54.1% unadjusted
All Honda models

Common questions

How reliable is the Honda Accord compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Accord, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 61.3% across 22,892 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Honda Accord?: The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 22.6% of failed Honda Accord tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Honda Accord?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 27.5% of all Honda Accord tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Honda Accord usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 126,498 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Honda Accord years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Honda Accord cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 77.6%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 59.3%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Honda Accord get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 77.6% of Honda Accord tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Honda Accord models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Accord cars tested, 62% are petrol, 38% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.