How reliable is the Honda Stepwagon compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Stepwagon, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 74.2% across 3,484 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 Stepwagon?

The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 18.4% of failed Honda Stepwagon 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 Stepwagon?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.4% of all Honda Stepwagon tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,561 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 Stepwagon get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 62.2% of Honda Stepwagon tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 71.4%. 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 Stepwagon models petrol or diesel?

Of the Honda Stepwagon cars tested, 99% are petrol, 1% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Honda Stepwagon MOT pass rate & common failures

From 3,484 recorded MOT tests of the Honda Stepwagon, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 3,484 MOT tests, 74.2% of Honda Stepwagon tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Honda Stepwagon 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 aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, which appears in 18.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 90,561 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

74.2%unadjusted, not comparable3,484 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Stepwagon. 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 3,484 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Honda Stepwagon 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 requirements18.4%
129 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning17.4%
122 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc16.7%
117 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.7%
89 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.3%
86 occurrencesLamp not working explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.3%
79 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements10.0%
70 occurrencesLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
8.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.6%
67 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
9.Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.8%
62 occurrencesSteering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing explained
10.A tyre cords visible or damaged6.4%
45 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Honda Stepwagon 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 requirements19.4%
675 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.4%
537 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.1%
388 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged10.7%
373 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured5.3%
186 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow5.1%
178 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users4.2%
146 tests
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage3.1%
108 testsShock absorber defective explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs62%

6–8 yrs74%

9–11 yrs76%

12–14 yrs80%

15+ yrs71%

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

What gets tested

The Stepwagon fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 90,561
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol98.9%
Hybrid0.9%

Check a specific Honda Stepwagon

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 Insight — 67.7% unadjusted
All Honda models

Common questions

How reliable is the Honda Stepwagon compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Honda Stepwagon, 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 74.2% across 3,484 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 Stepwagon?: The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 18.4% of failed Honda Stepwagon 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 Stepwagon?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.4% of all Honda Stepwagon tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Honda Stepwagon usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 90,561 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 Stepwagon get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 62.2% of Honda Stepwagon tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 71.4%. 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 Stepwagon models petrol or diesel?: Of the Honda Stepwagon cars tested, 99% are petrol, 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. 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.