Know Your MOT
25.8%fail rate

Honda Legend common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 39,761 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 25.8% of MOT tests recorded on the Honda Legend 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 31.2% of the Honda Legend's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, suspension, brakes, tyres. 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 & electrical31.2% 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.

Suspension30.8% 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.

Brakes29.5% 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.

Tyres20.9% 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.

Visibility/wipers15.6% 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.

Other14.1% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

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).

199231.2% fail · 1,700 tests
199330.9% fail · 2,164 tests
199427.7% fail · 2,175 tests
199529.1% fail · 1,748 tests
199628.8% fail · 3,594 tests
199728.6% fail · 3,069 tests
199826.4% fail · 4,154 tests
199927.8% fail · 3,431 tests
200026.6% fail · 2,403 tests
200125.5% fail · 1,500 tests
200221.5% fail · 906 tests
200323.3% fail · 360 tests
200617.1% fail · 2,228 tests
200717.0% fail · 2,886 tests
200817.3% fail · 2,379 tests
200915.6% fail · 1,335 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 Legend headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Honda Legend headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Honda Legend headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Honda Legend suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Honda Legend suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Honda Legend suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Honda Legend brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Honda Legend brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Honda Legend brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Honda Legend tyresSearch Amazon for Honda Legend tyresaffiliate searchFind Honda Legend tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Honda Legend wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Honda Legend wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Honda Legend wiper blades 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