The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

Honda Insight common problems

What fails on the Honda Insight at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 8,496 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The Honda Insight's most common MOT problems are bulbs and lamps, suspension bushes, tyres, recorded in 50.8%, 27.9% and 24.7% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2012 cars pass most often (72.4%) and 2009 cars least (65.4%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every Honda Insight that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 8,496 cars.

By component

What wears out on a Insight

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed Honda Insight tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Bulbs and lamps

    50.8% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained17.7%
    • “A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED” — explained8.5%
    • “Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow” — explained6.9%
    • “A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained5.2%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  2. 2.Suspension bushes

    27.9% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained9.3%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained7.8%
    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained4.9%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained2.9%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

  3. 3.Tyres

    24.7% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements” — explained8.9%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained5.3%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained4.7%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained3.1%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  4. 4.Headlamp aim

    20.7% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained15.0%
    • “Headlamp aim unable to be tested” — explained3.3%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained2.4%

  5. 5.Suspension arms and mountings

    13.1% of failed tests

    Arms bend on impact and mountings corrode into the body; a corroded mounting is a structural item and fails as one.

    • “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 repaired” — explained13.1%

  6. 6.Brake pads and shoes

    12.4% of failed tests

    Friction material wears with use; the MOT limit is 1.5 mm and a pad that thin is close to metal on metal.

    • “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm” — explained12.4%

    Across all cars, brake pads and shoes failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long brake pads and shoes last

  7. 7.Wiper blades and washers

    12.2% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained10.0%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained2.2%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  8. 8.Body and structure

    7.3% of failed tests

    Structural corrosion within 30 cm of a seat belt, suspension or steering mounting fails; it is a disease of age, salt and wet storage.

    • “Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point” — explained3.9%
    • “Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced” — explained3.4%

By registration year

Insight problems by year

MOT pass rate for Honda Insight cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. The step at 2012, up 5.1 points, is larger than wear explains and most likely marks a change in the cars themselves.

200965%
201066%+0.5
201167%+1.4
201272%+5.1

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn Insight owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all Honda Insight tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the Insight file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a Honda Insight?
Going by what fails the MOT, bulbs and lamps (recorded in 50.8% of failed tests), suspension bushes (recorded in 27.9% of failed tests), and tyres (recorded in 24.7% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 8,496 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which Honda Insight year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, Honda Insight cars registered in 2012 do best at 72.4% and 2009 cars do worst at 65.4%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar. The largest such step is at 2012, up 5.1 points on 2011.
Is the Honda Insight reliable?
The Honda Insight passes 67.7% of MOTs unadjusted; its fleet is too narrow in age or mileage for a fair national comparison. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used Honda Insight?
Start with what fails most: bulbs and lamps, suspension bushes, tyres. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of