Common problems

Honda HR-V (before 2015) common problems

What MOT testers find on the Honda HR-V (before 2015): the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 5,740 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025. These figures cover cars first used before 2015. Later cars sold under the same name are not included; see Honda HR-V cars first used 2015 or later.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 22 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=1,557)21.2

All cars at 22 years (n=913,980)19.7

Suspension advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=1,557)32.4

All cars, same age (n=913,980)34.4

What stands out

Windscreen, wipers and mirrors fails show up on 9.7 of every 100 MOTs of a Honda HR-V (before 2015) at 22 years old (n=1,557), against 7.4 for all cars of that age (n=913,980).
Brakes fails are less common: 8.0 per 100 MOTs against 13.1 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 22 years: component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 7.4 per 100 MOTs (all cars 3.5).
The most common advisory or minor defect: engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive, on 16.4 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 22 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Honda HR-V (before 2015) at 22 years (n=1,557) against all cars at 22 years (n=913,980). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	21.2	19.7	19.8	15.5
Suspension	16.2	15.2	32.4	34.4
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	9.7	7.4	5.4	6.4
Brakes	8.0	13.1	26.4	33.2
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	8.0	7.0	17.3	16.8
Body and structure	7.0	9.4	15.9	16.3
Tyres	4.6	5.6	27.2	24.2
Seat belts and airbags	3.6	3.1	2.5	1.7
Steering	3.6	4.0	6.7	6.7
Number plates and VIN	0.6	0.8	8.2	6.8
Road wheels	0.2	0.4	0.1	1.0

What testers fail most on the HR-V (before 2015) at 22 years

Fail items on the Honda HR-V (before 2015) at 22 years (n=1,557), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=913,980).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	7.4	3.5
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	6.0	3.7	£10 to £47 per lamp
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	5.2	4.6	£10 to £47 per lamp
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect	Lights and electrics	5.1	3.2	£16 to £39 per car (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	4.5	3.5	£15 to £30 per blade
Anti-roll bar link worn	Suspension	3.6	1.0	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.1	2.1	£2 to £14 per car (rough guide)
Dipped headlight not working	Lights and electrics	3.0	1.6	£18 to £86 per lamp
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	3.0	1.9
Steering track rod end: ball joint play	Steering	2.9	1.6	£54 to £128 per side (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 22 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Honda HR-V (before 2015) at 22 years (n=1,557), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=913,980).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	16.4	15.1
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	14.5	10.4	£88 to £145 per tyre
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	14.5	15.9	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	13.4	13.7	£88 to £145 per tyre
Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play	Suspension	10.0	2.0	£33 to £102 per link (rough guide)
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread	Number plates and VIN	8.1	6.8	£23 to £63 per plate (rough guide)
Headlamp: has a product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output	Lights and electrics	7.5	2.9	£28 to £98 per lamp (rough guide)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive	Suspension	7.2	3.7
Headlamp: lens slightly defective	Lights and electrics	6.9	3.3
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	6.0	8.0

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 22 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Suspension	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
20 years	1,267	21.5	15.1	8.4
21 years	1,496	21.7	14.9	10.0
22 years	1,557	21.2	16.2	9.7
23 years	1,420	20.0	15.6	8.1

What to check on a viewing

On the Honda HR-V (before 2015), testers most often record component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; brake light not working; side/position light not working. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

Windscreen, wipers and mirrors

Look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
Run the wipers and washers: they should clear the screen without smearing.
Check that the mirrors are present, secure and not cracked.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Honda HR-V (before 2015)?

At 22 years, the age with the most MOT tests (1,557), the fail items testers record most often on the Honda HR-V (before 2015) are component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (7.4 per 100 MOTs), brake light not working (6.0 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (5.2 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive (16.4) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (14.5).

Which parts of the Honda HR-V (before 2015) fail more often than on other cars?

At 22 years: windscreen, wipers and mirrors (9.7 per 100 MOTs against 7.4 for all cars); lights and electrics (21.2 per 100 MOTs against 19.7 for all cars); suspension (16.2 per 100 MOTs against 15.2 for all cars). Compared with 913,980 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Honda HR-V (before 2015) problems by area

Other Honda models

All Honda models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Honda HR-V (before 2015)?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources