Honda Accord — Common MOT Faults
Model-level fault breakdown for the Honda Accord (2003–2015): top failure categories, dangerous defect and retest rates, mileage benchmarks, and an AI-calculated reliability score.
Honda Accord fault snapshot: first-time MOT pass rate 80.5% (failure rate 19.5%), ranks above the UK average of 64%. Dangerous defect rate 1.7%, retest rate 13.2%. Composite reliability score 76/100 (good). Top failure category: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 15.5% of tests.
Honda Accord · reliability score
76/100
MOT Checkup reliability score: Good · combines pass rate, dangerous defect rate and retest rate.
80.5%
vs UK 64%
1.7%
13.2%
Top MOT failure categories — Honda Accord
Categories most likely to trigger an MOT failure on the Honda Accord. The first three account for the majority of fails.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Suspension
Brakes
Tyres
Exhaust, fuel and emissions
Where on the car faults cluster
Front
30%
Rear
29%
Offside
21%
Mileage benchmarks — Honda Accord
From ages 3 to 5, average mileage on a Honda Accord rises from around 26,000 miles to 44,000 miles — about 9,000 miles a year, which is in line with the UK average use pattern. A specific car well below or above these averages warrants extra scrutiny — very low mileage on an older car can mean infrequent maintenance just as easily as low use.
Age 3
26,000 mi
Age 5
44,000 mi
Age 10
85,000 mi
Run a free MOT check on this Honda Accord
Enter the registration to see the actual MOT history for the car you’re looking at — pass/fail, advisories, dangerous defects, mileage at every test. Free and instant.
Free MOT history check at /free-mot-check.
Pre-purchase checklist for a Honda Accord
- Pull the MOT history first. A pattern of repeat advisories in the same category (e.g. suspension knock noted on three tests in a row) usually means a deferred repair waiting for you.
- Sanity-check the mileage. Compare what’s on the odometer with the readings logged at each MOT. Any backward step or implausibly large jump is a red flag.
- Inspect the top failure points yourself. For this model the cluster is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and suspension — both are easy to assess in a short test drive.
- Ask for the last service record. A Honda with consistent dealer or independent service stamps will normally outperform the model-average pass rate of 80.5%.
Compare and explore
Honda Accord MOT check
Free registration lookup for this model.
Honda reliability
Brand-wide reliability profile and model ranking.
Honda Accord repair costs
Indicative repair costs for the common faults above.
Volkswagen Golf — common faults
Sibling page at a similar pass rate (80.5%).
Mercedes-Benz C-Class — common faults
Sibling page at a similar pass rate (80.5%).
Peugeot 3008 — common faults
Sibling page at a similar pass rate (80.5%).
Honda Accord — FAQ
Is the Honda Accord reliable for MOT?
What are the most common MOT failures on a Honda Accord?
What's the dangerous defect rate on a Honda Accord?
How do I check a specific Honda Accord's MOT history?
Check the MOT history of a Honda Accord
Free, instant lookup. Every test result, advisory and mileage reading since 2005.
Source: MOT Checkup reliability dataset. Reliability score is a composite metric blending first-time pass rate, dangerous defect rate and retest rate — see /methodology for the formula. Individual cars vary considerably; the registration-level MOT history is the canonical record.