How reliable is the Honda Insight compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Insight, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 67.7% across 8,496 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 do testers most often warn about on a Honda Insight?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 17.9% of all Honda Insight tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 123,490 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 Insight get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 76.4% of Honda Insight tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.8%. 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 Insight models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Insight cars tested, 47% are hybrid, 26% are petrol, 14% are electric. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Insight MOT pass rate & common failures

From 8,496 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Insight, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 8,496 MOT tests, 67.7% of Honda Insight tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Honda Insight 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 lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 17.7% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 123,490 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

67.7%unadjusted, not comparable8,496 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Insight. 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 8,496 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning17.7%
343 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements15.0%
290 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 repaired13.1%
253 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.4%
240 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen10.0%
194 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.3%
180 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.9%
172 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED8.5%
164 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained
9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.8%
150 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
10.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow6.9%
134 occurrencesLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Insight 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 requirements17.9%
1,523 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured17.6%
1,499 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged14.8%
1,254 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.9%
1,011 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow11.3%
959 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.8%
576 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.4%
541 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage5.4%
455 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

9–11 yrs76%

12–14 yrs70%

15+ yrs66%

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

What gets tested

The Insight fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 123,490
Fuel mix of tested cars: Hybrid46.7%
Petrol25.7%
Electric13.7%
Other13.5%

Check a specific Honda Insight

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 Accord — 61.3% unadjusted
Honda Fr-V — 54.1% unadjusted
All Honda models

Common questions

How reliable is the Honda Insight compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Insight, 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 67.7% across 8,496 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 Insight?: The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 17.7% of failed Honda Insight 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 Insight?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 17.9% of all Honda Insight tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Honda Insight usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 123,490 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 Insight get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 76.4% of Honda Insight tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 65.8%. 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 Insight models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Insight cars tested, 47% are hybrid, 26% are petrol, 14% are electric. 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.