Know Your MOT
17.8%fail rate

Honda Xr400r common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Honda Xr400r fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 835 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 17.8% of MOT tests recorded on the Honda Xr400r 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 28.9% of the Honda Xr400r's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, other, registration plate, brakes. 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 & electrical28.9% 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.

Other18.1% of failures

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

Registration plate14.8% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

Brakes12.8% 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.

Tyres11.4% 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.

Suspension4.7% 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.

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).

199717.0% fail · 100 tests
199812.2% fail · 115 tests
199915.4% fail · 130 tests
200116.9% fail · 166 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 Xr400r headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Honda Xr400r headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Honda Xr400r headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Honda Xr400r number plateSearch Amazon for Honda Xr400r number plateaffiliate searchFind Honda Xr400r number plate on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Honda Xr400r brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Honda Xr400r brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Honda Xr400r brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Honda Xr400r tyresSearch Amazon for Honda Xr400r tyresaffiliate searchFind Honda Xr400r tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Honda Xr400r suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Honda Xr400r suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Honda Xr400r suspension springs and shock absorbers 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