Does the Honda Civic fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The Honda Civic records 4.83 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 8.41 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.58, 95% interval −3.62 to −3.54). It ranks 501 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a Honda Civic by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Honda Civic is “Exhaust system leaking or insecure”, recorded 21,212 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 21,212 | 1.15 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 18,040 | 0.98 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 12,121 | 0.66 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 8,482 | 0.46 |
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 6,675 | 0.36 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,848,283 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Honda Civic gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
13.0% of Honda Civic MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,759 miles later (59,063 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 59,063 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Honda Civic 1998 · Honda Civic 1999 · Honda Civic 2000 · Honda Civic 2001 · Honda Civic 2002 · Honda Civic 2003 · Honda Civic 2004 · Honda Civic 2005 · Honda Civic 2006 · Honda Civic 2007 · Honda Civic 2008 · Honda Civic 2009 · Honda Civic 2010 · Honda Civic 2011 · Honda Civic 2012 · Honda Civic 2013 · Honda Civic 2014 · Honda Civic 2015 · Honda Civic 2016 · Honda Civic 2017 · Honda Civic 2018 · Honda Civic 2019 · Honda Civic 2020 · Honda Civic in Finland · Honda Civic in the Netherlands · Honda Civic in Norway · Honda Civic by postcode area · Honda Civic brakes failures · Honda Civic vehicle identification failures · Honda Civic lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Honda Civic noise, emissions and leaks failures · Honda Civic road wheels failures · Honda Civic seat belts and airbags failures · Honda Civic steering failures · Honda Civic suspension failures · Honda Civic tyres failures · Honda Civic visibility failures