Is the Honda Hr-V reliable?

On MOT evidence the Honda Hr-V is well above average. It passes 78.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. 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 Hr-V?

The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 21.4% of failed Honda Hr-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 Hr-V?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.0% of all Honda Hr-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 Hr-V usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 47,535 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 Hr-V get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 93.8% of Honda Hr-V tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.0%. 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 Hr-V models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Hr-V cars tested, 59% are petrol, 22% are diesel, 18% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Hr-V MOT pass rate & common failures

From 38,767 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Hr-V, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Honda Hr-V passes 78.6% 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. Based on 38,767 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, which appears in 21.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 47,535 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

78.6%national average72.3%unadjusted87.2%range covered83%

The Hr-V is 6.3 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 87.2%; 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 Hr-V tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm21.4%
800 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.8%
590 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen14.7%
548 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged13.5%
504 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage9.2%
343 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.7%
326 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.2%
193 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.A tyre cords visible or damaged4.7%
175 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
9.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 repaired4.3%
161 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
10.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened4.1%
155 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Hr-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 requirements19.0%
7,367 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged15.2%
5,904 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.7%
4,146 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.1%
2,373 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage4.2%
1,647 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured3.9%
1,521 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
7.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt3.0%
1,173 tests
8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn2.8%
1,078 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs94%

6–8 yrs88%

9–11 yrs82%

15+ yrs58%

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

What gets tested

The Hr-V fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 47,535
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol59.2%
Diesel22.4%
Hybrid18.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (3)

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

HR-V ADVANCE I-MMD CVT
HR-V ADVANCE STYLE I-MMD CVT
HR-V ELEGANCE I-MMD CVT

Check a specific Honda Hr-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 Cr-V — 80.3% 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

Volvo V60 — 78.3% adjusted, ranked 73
Suzuki SX4 — 70.7% adjusted, ranked 163
Peugeot 5008 — 64.0% adjusted, ranked 228
Volkswagen Beetle — 63.4% adjusted, ranked 237

Common questions

Is the Honda Hr-V reliable?: On MOT evidence the Honda Hr-V is well above average. It passes 78.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 83% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. 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 Hr-V?: The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 21.4% of failed Honda Hr-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 Hr-V?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.0% of all Honda Hr-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 Hr-V usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 47,535 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 Hr-V get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 93.8% of Honda Hr-V tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.0%. 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 Hr-V models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Hr-V cars tested, 59% are petrol, 22% are diesel, 18% 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.