Is the Honda Cr-V reliable?

On MOT evidence the Honda Cr-V is well above average. It passes 80.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 50 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 Cr-V?

The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 15.1% of failed Honda Cr-V 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 Cr-V?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 26.2% of all Honda Cr-V tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Honda Cr-V usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,112 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 Cr-V get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.4% of Honda Cr-V tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.3%. 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 Cr-V models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Cr-V cars tested, 46% are diesel, 44% are petrol, 10% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Cr-V MOT pass rate & common failures

From 194,459 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Cr-V, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Honda Cr-V passes 80.3% 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 well above average, ranking it 50 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 194,459 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, which appears in 15.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 95,112 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

80.3%national average72.3%unadjusted74.4%range covered100%rank50 of 262

The Cr-V is 8.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 74.4%; 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 Cr-V tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.1%
5,869 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements11.4%
4,410 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
3.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 repaired10.4%
4,052 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.4%
4,020 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.1%
3,918 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.6%
3,735 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.1%
3,541 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning8.5%
3,295 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
9.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.4%
2,866 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.2%
2,798 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Cr-V 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 requirements26.2%
50,968 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.0%
19,450 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged10.0%
19,402 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.3%
18,101 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured8.9%
17,212 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.7%
11,164 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.7%
11,073 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.5%
10,782 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs92%

6–8 yrs88%

9–11 yrs83%

12–14 yrs76%

15+ yrs58%

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

What gets tested

The Cr-V fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 95,112
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel45.9%
Petrol44.5%
Hybrid9.6%

Trim names grouped into this model (5)

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

CR-V 2.0 I-VTEC S
CR-V ADVANCE I-MMD CVT
CR-V ADVANCE TECH I-MMD CVT
CR-V EX I-VTEC AUTO
CR-V SPORT LINE I-MMD CVT

Check a specific Honda Cr-V

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 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

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque — 82.3% adjusted, ranked 37
Kia Picanto — 65.5% adjusted, ranked 217
Seat Ibiza — 66.6% adjusted, ranked 209
Citroen C3 — 63.9% adjusted, ranked 230

Common questions

Is the Honda Cr-V reliable?: On MOT evidence the Honda Cr-V is well above average. It passes 80.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 50 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 Cr-V?: The item recorded most often is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", which appears in 15.1% of failed Honda Cr-V 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 Cr-V?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 26.2% of all Honda Cr-V tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Honda Cr-V usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,112 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 Cr-V get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.4% of Honda Cr-V tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.3%. 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 Cr-V models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Cr-V cars tested, 46% are diesel, 44% are petrol, 10% 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.