Is the Honda Civic reliable?

On MOT evidence the Honda Civic is above average. It passes 74.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 113 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

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

The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 18.7% of failed Honda Civic 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 Civic?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Honda Civic tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 91,823 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.

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

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.2% of Honda Civic tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.2%. 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 Civic models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Civic cars tested, 76% are petrol, 22% are diesel, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Civic MOT pass rate & common failures

From 260,077 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Civic, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Honda Civic passes 74.8% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average, ranking it 113 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 260,077 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, which appears in 18.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 91,823 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

74.8%national average72.3%unadjusted67.1%range covered100%rank113 of 262

The Civic is 2.5 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 67.1%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Honda Civic 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 requirements18.7%
12,409 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning16.8%
11,135 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.8%
8,465 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.9%
7,859 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 repaired9.7%
6,417 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.4%
6,219 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
7.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage9.0%
5,948 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.9%
5,207 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.9%
4,556 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
10.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.8%
4,503 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Civic 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 requirements23.4%
60,735 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged14.7%
38,323 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.9%
33,503 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.9%
31,014 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.5%
22,133 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.4%
21,770 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.Number plate inscription missing or illegible5.7%
14,848 testsRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage5.5%
14,428 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs88%

6–8 yrs85%

9–11 yrs79%

12–14 yrs67%

15+ yrs55%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Civic fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 91,823
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol76.2%
Diesel22.2%
Hybrid1.1%

Trim names grouped into this model (21)

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

CIVIC ADVANCE I-MMD CVT
CIVIC ELEGANCE I-MMD CVT
CIVIC EX SPORT LINE VTEC
CIVIC EX SPORT LINE VTEC CVT
CIVIC EX VTEC
CIVIC EX VTEC CVT
CIVIC HYBRID
CIVIC S I-DTEC
CIVIC SE 1-VTEC
CIVIC SE VTEC CVT
CIVIC SHUTTLE
CIVIC SPORT I-MMD CVT
CIVIC SPORT VTEC
CIVIC SPORT VTEC CVT
CIVIC SR I-DTEC
CIVIC SR VTEC
CIVIC SR VTEC CVT
CIVIC TYPE R
CIVIC TYPE R GT
CIVIC TYPE R LIMITED EDITION
CIVIC TYPE R SPORT LINE

Check a specific Honda Civic

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 Cr-V — 80.3% adjusted
Honda Hr-V — 78.6% adjusted
Honda Accord — 61.3% unadjusted
Honda Insight — 67.7% unadjusted
Honda Fr-V — 54.1% unadjusted
All Honda models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Toyota Aygo — 70.4% adjusted, ranked 168
Vauxhall Mokka — 68.6% adjusted, ranked 189
Hyundai I10 — 67.7% adjusted, ranked 199
Volkswagen Tiguan — 77.3% adjusted, ranked 83

Common questions

Is the Honda Civic reliable?: On MOT evidence the Honda Civic is above average. It passes 74.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 113 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Honda Civic?: The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 18.7% of failed Honda Civic 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 Civic?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Honda Civic tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Honda Civic usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 91,823 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.
Does a Honda Civic get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.2% of Honda Civic tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 55.2%. 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 Civic models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Civic cars tested, 76% are petrol, 22% are diesel, 1% are hybrid. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.