Know Your MOT
21.6%fail rate

Honda Beat common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Honda Beat fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 1,992 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 21.6% of MOT tests recorded on the Honda Beat in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 37.2% of the Honda Beat's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, visibility/wipers, exhaust & emissions. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical37.2% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Brakes30.2% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Visibility/wipers15.1% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Exhaust & emissions14.9% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Suspension12.8% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Tyres10.9% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Failure rate by year

How the MOT failure rate varies by the car's year of first registration (older examples generally fail more as wear sets in).

199118.6% fail · 381 tests
199220.5% fail · 482 tests
199827.5% fail · 367 tests
199921.8% fail · 124 tests

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Honda Beat headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Honda Beat headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Honda Beat brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Honda Beat brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Honda Beat wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Honda Beat wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Honda Beat exhaustSearch Amazon for Honda Beat exhaustaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Honda Beat suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Honda Beat suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Honda Beat tyresSearch Amazon for Honda Beat tyresaffiliate searchFind Honda Beat tyres on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Honda Civic MOT failures26.3% failure rateHonda Jazz MOT failures18.9% failure rateHonda Cr-V MOT failures21.4% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data · DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain