MOT Risk Index.co.uk

Honda CR-V — MOT statistics 2024

The Honda CR-V failed 25.9% of 199,867 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 80.3 (100 = expected for its age profile). This car fails its MOT about 20% less often than expected for its age.

MOT risk index 80.3, 95% CI 79.7–80.9 (100 = national average) 100 80.3 0 200
Index
80.3
100 = age-normal
Raw fail rate
25.9%
n = 199,867
Dangerous /100
9
national ≈11
Diesel − petrol
-2.4 pp
fail-rate gap
Rank
260 of 761
lower index = better

Age-adjusted peer: Toyota Prius (index 80.0) — the two published results are 0.3 index points apart.

Honda CR-V common problems: what actually fails the MOT

Brakes are well below the reference at 7.8 per 100 tests, against 13.8 per 100 tests across UK vehicles of the same ages.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

Honda CR-V common problems: what actually fails the MOT — 2024 UK MOT data

family vs national — matched to UK vehicles of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.

Component-group comparison table

Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone.

GroupThis familyCases behind itUK, same agesFamily / national
Lamps & electrical22.3272,83621.31.05×1.04–1.05
Suspension22.2271,45318.31.21×1.21–1.22
Steering8.9108,2243.42.65×2.62–2.65
Visibility8.5103,9348.70.97×0.97–0.98
Brakes7.895,25713.80.56×0.56–0.57
Tyres6.376,9429.30.68×0.67–0.68
Named defects — items per 100 initial tests, this family vs UK national average; this model measured on 1,222,092 tests, 2019-2024, national column 2024
What failedper 100 tests (this family)per 100 tests (UK average)ratio family / UKWhat to check
Suspension joint cover perished (minor)A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated7.631.904.01×Look at the ball joint covers behind the front wheels: once a cover splits, the joint wears out.
Steering gaiter or cover worn (minor)Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated6.200.768.18×Turn the steering to full lock and look for cracked rubber gaiters behind the front wheels.
Headlight lens or reflector worn (minor)Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective3.581.093.27×Look for cloudy, cracked or misted headlight lenses; a seriously damaged lens fails the test.
Worn suspension bush or jointA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.184.871.27×Listen for knocks over speed bumps, feel for the car wandering under braking, and ask which part was replaced.
Suspension joint cover split or missingA suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc2.791.781.56×Ask whether the ball joint was replaced along with its cover: a joint that ran unprotected wears quickly and knocks over bumps.
One number plate light out (minor)A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources3.482.831.23×Check every number plate light works with the sidelights on; a single dead bulb or LED is a cheap fix.
Headlight aimed wronglyThe aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements3.202.571.25×Shine the dipped beams at a wall after dark: both should sit at the same height.
Brake pads or shoes dangerously thina brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm2.472.151.15×Look through the wheels at the pads and discs, listen for grinding, and ask when they were last replaced.
Windscreen or window damaged (minor)Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view2.662.361.13×Look for chips and cracks across the windscreen: chips spread, and larger damage in front of the driver fails.
Tyre tread below the legal limitTyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.223.590.90×Check the tread across every tyre with a gauge; wear on one edge points to a tracking fault.

Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.

Honda CR-V MOT advisories: what gets flagged

Tyres are highest at 38.0 per 100 tests; Body & structure are lowest at 5.1 per 100 tests — the gap is 32.9 per 100 tests.

higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests

Honda CR-V MOT advisories: what gets flagged — 2024 UK MOT data
Advisory rates table
GroupAdvisories per 100
Tyres38
Suspension35.6
Brakes26.3
Non-component advisories8.5
Lamps & electrical6.1
Body & structure5.1

Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.

Tyres, brakes and suspension: Honda CR-V against cars of the same age

AgePartHonda CR-VSame age, petrol and dieselDifference
3 yearsTyres1.954.17-2.22
3 yearsBrakes0.721.77-1.05
3 yearsSuspension0.110.63-0.52
4 yearsTyres2.484.54-2.06
4 yearsBrakes1.322.43-1.11
4 yearsSuspension0.221.21-0.99
5 yearsTyres2.865.06-2.20
5 yearsBrakes2.023.09-1.07
5 yearsSuspension0.482.19-1.71
6 yearsTyres3.375.54-2.17
6 yearsBrakes2.563.81-1.25
6 yearsSuspension1.163.72-2.56
7 yearsTyres3.685.95-2.27
7 yearsBrakes2.924.55-1.63
7 yearsSuspension2.115.68-3.57
8 yearsTyres3.936.31-2.38
8 yearsBrakes3.055.38-2.33
8 yearsSuspension3.537.78-4.25

Failing items per 100 initial tests, 2019-2024. The comparison group is every petrol or diesel car tested at the same age, so weight and drivetrain show up rather than fleet age.

If a car like this fails, does it fail again?

A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.

After this year's testFails next yearVehicles followed
It failed34.5%73,166
It passed21.2%701,368

A failed test raises next year's chance of failing again by 13.3 percentage points. The failure most likely to come back is steering — 39.2% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.

Adjusted for how much these are actually driven

The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every car with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 1,216,766 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.

Standardised forIndexReading
Age only80.5fails less often than expected
Age and annual mileage77.4fails less often than vehicles driven as much
Share doing under 3,000 miles a year2.3%a normal spread of use

Mileage changes little here (-3.1 points): this fleet is driven about as much as the vehicles it is compared with. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.

How the Honda CR-V compares with cars of its own age and size

Not against the whole fleet — against cars of the same size class tested at the same age, 2019-2024.

AgeHonda CR-VSame class, same ageDifferenceTests
3 years7.49%11.76%-4.27 pp60,366
4 years9.77%13.36%-3.58 pp64,909
5 years11.01%15.15%-4.13 pp73,989
6 years12.37%17.45%-5.08 pp79,893
7 years14%20.3%-6.3 pp83,152
8 years15.85%23.41%-7.57 pp81,383
9 years17.82%26.99%-9.17 pp77,544
10 years20.49%30.31%-9.82 pp73,295
11 years23.85%33.74%-9.9 pp70,769
12 years28.75%36.72%-7.97 pp74,267
13 years32.88%39.1%-6.21 pp73,458
14 years36.36%41.01%-4.65 pp75,377
15 years40.38%42.39%-2.01 pp72,288
16 years43.38%43.12%+0.26 pp68,447
17 years45.8%43.39%+2.41 pp59,885
18 years47.08%43.44%+3.64 pp44,265
19 years48.5%42.9%+5.6 pp32,883
20 years49.63%42.05%+7.58 pp22,488

Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.

How does the Honda CR-V perform as it gets older?

The CR-V at age 11 is well below the reference at 19.0%, against 33.2% for all vehicles of the same age.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

How does the Honda CR-V perform as it gets older? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · failure-rate scale 0–53%.

Takeaway: a 10-year-old CR-V has roughly a 18% chance of failing its MOT; from about age 18 it stays above the national age curve.

Data table
AgeHonda CR-VAll vehiclesGap
37.7%12.4%-4.7 pp
47.4%13.1%-5.7 pp
58.6%15.1%-6.6 pp
611.1%17.5%-6.4 pp
713.4%20.2%-6.8 pp
813.7%23.3%-9.7 pp
915.0%26.5%-11.5 pp
1017.7%30.1%-12.4 pp
1119.0%33.2%-14.1 pp
1224.7%35.7%-11.0 pp
1327.7%38.2%-10.5 pp
1428.8%40.4%-11.6 pp
1533.1%41.6%-8.5 pp
1637.6%43.1%-5.5 pp
1742.0%43.1%-1.1 pp
1845.1%43.9%+1.3 pp
1946.4%43.5%+2.9 pp
2049.2%41.0%+8.2 pp

Is a Honda CR-V ULEZ compliant?

The share of classifiable 2024 Honda CR-V MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 53.5%.

Based on 198,683 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.

higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class

Age-band estimate from classifiable initial MOT tests
Vehicle age at testLikely ULEZ-compliant shareTests
Under 3 yearsSuppressed — sample below publication threshold
Check a registration with TfL
n = 171
3–5 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 19,938
6–7 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 21,292
8 years100.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 14,158
9 years56.5%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 14,381
10–14 years40.6%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 61,103
15–17 years39.5%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 33,546
18 years48.9%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 9,424
19 years0.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 8,666
20+ years0.0%
Check a registration with TfL
n = 16,004

Honda CR-V petrol vs diesel: which ages best

Petrol is highest at 28.5%; Hybrid is lowest at 7.6% — the gap is 20.9 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Honda CR-V petrol vs diesel: which ages best — 2024 UK MOT data
Fuel split table
FuelTests% failingGap vs best
Diesel94,54426.1%+18.5 pp
Petrol91,48128.5%+20.9 pp
Hybrid13,7777.6%+0.0 pp

Chart sample sizes: n=95k · n=91k · n=14k.

How dangerous are Honda CR-V MOT failures?

Minor defects stand out at 28.8 per 100 tests, against 14.2 per 100 tests nationally.

higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests

How dangerous are Honda CR-V MOT failures? — 2024 UK MOT data
Severity table
SeverityThis family /100National /100Family / national
Minor28.7814.222.02×
Major47.0452.750.89×
Dangerous9.2011.150.83×

Chart values: Minor 28.8 · Major 47.0 · Dangerous 9.2.

Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.

Does the month of a Honda CR-V MOT matter?

Nov is highest at 27.9%; Mar is lowest at 24.6% — the gap is 3.3 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Does the month of a Honda CR-V MOT matter? — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart scale: 23%–33%.

bars: Honda CR-V · dashed: all class-4 cars

Month-by-month table
MonthHonda CR-VAll vehiclesGap
Jan26.97%31.12%-4.2 pp
Feb26.3%29.99%-3.7 pp
Mar24.57%28.26%-3.7 pp
Apr27.63%29.78%-2.2 pp
May25.76%28.79%-3.0 pp
Jun25.12%28.15%-3.0 pp
Jul26.64%29.33%-2.7 pp
Aug26.12%29.2%-3.1 pp
Sep25.15%28.19%-3.0 pp
Oct27.41%30.34%-2.9 pp
Nov27.89%30.58%-2.7 pp
Dec26.78%29.33%-2.5 pp

Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 3.3 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.

Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.

Honda CR-V average mileage by age

At age 8, the middle half of CR-Vs runs from 47,216 miles to 79,214 miles, against 62,036 miles as the median.

further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75

Bars: Honda CR-V · dashed: all class-4 cars — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · odometer scale 0–171k mi.

Does high mileage mean more Honda CR-V MOT failures at the same age?

Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 15+, 19.4% of those with under 40,000 miles failed first time versus 48.5% of those with over 140,000 miles.Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.

Does high mileage mean more Honda CR-V MOT failures at the same age? — 2024 UK MOT data
Honda CR-V: first-time failure by mileage within each age group (2024)
AgeOdometer% failing95% intervalTests
3–5<40k miles7.3%6.9–7.8%15,390
3–540-70k miles10.2%9.3–11.2%4,098
3–570-100k miles9.7%7.2–13.1%391 (rough estimate)
3–5100-140k miles11.1%5.2–22.2%54 (rough estimate)
6–9<40k miles8.9%8.3–9.4%10,545
6–940-70k miles12.4%12–12.9%22,720
6–970-100k miles16.4%15.7–17%12,275
6–9100-140k miles21.4%20.1–22.7%3,695
6–9140k+ miles26.6%23–30.6%519
10–14<40k miles11.4%10.1–12.8%2,259
10–1440-70k miles15.8%15.2–16.5%12,862
10–1470-100k miles21%20.5–21.6%21,272
10–14100-140k miles27.7%27.1–28.4%18,579
10–14140k+ miles32.9%31.7–34%6,036
15+<40k miles19.4%15.8–23.6%396 (rough estimate)
15+40-70k miles27.3%25.7–28.9%2,921
15+70-100k miles34.2%33.3–35.2%10,161
15+100-140k miles42.1%41.5–42.7%26,089
15+140k+ miles48.5%48–49.1%28,074

line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)

Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
Agep25Medianp75Tests
316,03122,47630,2685,979
419,58927,13836,9565,579
524,19233,65744,4298,380
632,13643,56257,0379,361
739,97153,07568,48211,933
847,21662,03679,21414,158
953,93171,22990,12714,382
1061,37779,716100,03514,708
1166,89986,659108,51014,208
1270,64391,318113,98712,449
1380,597102,690126,3049,838
1486,444108,784132,6549,905
15100,445124,312150,0529,323
16104,711130,396156,38510,327
17107,370133,208158,63113,907
18107,532134,030162,7769,430
19109,316135,672162,7248,673
20+107,938132,881158,84716,034

A typical 8-year-old CR-V has ~62,036 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.

Where in Britain the Honda CR-V fails its MOT most

Exeter area is highest at 37.3%; Bromley area is lowest at 16.3% — the gap is 21.0 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Where in Britain the Honda CR-V fails its MOT most — 2024 UK MOT data
Toughest areas% failingvs model overall
Exeter (EX)37.26%+10.9 pp
Plymouth (PL)35.47%+9.1 pp
Llandrindod Wells (LD)34.33%+8.0 pp
Torquay (TQ)33.89%+7.6 pp
Truro (TR)32.95%+6.6 pp
Easiest areas% failingvs model overall
Bromley (BR)16.27%-10.1 pp
Enfield (EN)18.36%-8.0 pp
Outer Hebrides (HS)20.17%-6.1 pp
Nottingham (NG)20.49%-5.8 pp
Doncaster (DN)20.54%-5.8 pp

Why do areas differ?

For each external factor we correlate the area fail rate with the factor across postcode areas that have ≥800 tests of this family, then compare the bottom vs top fifth (quintile) of the factor. Correlation, not causation — factors travel together (the north is colder and often poorer; urban areas are denser and less salted). Road surface condition is joined now, for the 91 English areas the DfT publishes, and it explains nothing: the correlation with suspension failures is −0.01 and with body and structure failures 0.07. Potholes wreck wheels and tyres between tests, but by the time a car reaches the bay the road it drives on leaves no measurable trace.

In areas with the highest terrain gradient this model fails 3.2 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.33, n=69 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest urban share this model fails 3.7 pp less often than in the lowest fifth (r=-0.30, n=116 areas with ≥800 tests).

In areas with the highest mot centre density this model fails 3.1 pp more often than in the lowest fifth (r=0.25, n=116 areas with ≥800 tests).

Honda CR-V Why do areas differ? — 2024 UK MOT data
Values shown in the quintile chart
FactorLow QHigh QGapCorrelation
Terrain gradient24.6%27.9%+3.3 ppr=0.33
Urban share28.2%24.5%-3.7 ppr=-0.30
MOT centre density24.8%27.8%+3.0 ppr=0.25

Factors that only mean something combined

Some conditions are useless on their own and informative multiplied together. Frost days alone say little — Britain barely freezes. Salt tonnage alone says little — it tracks frost. Distance to the sea alone says little. Multiply the first two and divide by the third and you get an index of how hard an area attacks a car's underside, and it lines up with the corrosion defects we actually record. We built five such combinations and tested each against our own data. Three survived; two did not, and the failures are listed here on purpose — a proxy that was never checked is decoration. One survivor only survived on the second attempt: built from a crude stand-in for street parking it failed outright, and rebuilt from the census — terraced streets carrying more cars than they have driveways — it works, and carries information the salt index does not.

Composite area indicators, each tested against a defect rate we measure
CompositeBuilt fromTested againstrVerdict
Underbody corrosionfrost days × salt load ÷ (distance to coast + 1)share of tests with a corrosion defect+0.42holds (116 areas)
Tyre wearrain days × annual miles ÷ age at first tyre advisoryshare of tests failing on tyres+0.45holds (116 areas)
Overnight corrosionterraced housing × cars per household × frost daysshare with a corrosion defect+0.41holds (102 areas) — and adds signal beyond the first index
Deferred maintenancedeprivation × advisory-to-failure conversion ÷ labour ratecars repeating the same advisory−0.26fails (118 areas)
Powertrain stressengine capacity ÷ kerb weightsuspension, brake and emissions failures−0.16fails (22 models)

The deprivation result is the one worth dwelling on. The intuition that poorer areas defer repairs is strong enough that most people treat it as established. We tested it twice — once on raw failure rates (r = 0.04) and again, more fairly, on whether an advisory turns into a failure — and it did not hold any of the three times we tried it — on raw failure rates, on advisory-to-failure conversion, and again with deprivation measured properly inside each nation rather than England alone. We are closing it. What does predict local failure rates is the density of test centres, which is a statement about testing, not about cars.

All external-factor correlations (machine-readable)
Factorrn areasLow-Q fail %High-Q fail %Gap ppLow-Q factorHigh-Q factor
Terrain gradient (% grade)0.3306924.627.9+3.20.54.2
Urban share (0–1)-0.30311628.224.5-3.70.41
MOT centre density (per 10k vehicles)0.25111624.827.8+3.158.9
Distance to coast (km)-0.18611627.824.8-3.0678.7
Income deprivation (score)-0.1619725.824.5-1.30.10.2
Road-salt proxy (g/m²-yr)-0.08711627.426.2-1.2223674.9
Frost days (days/year)-0.08411628.026.2-1.811.838

Deprivation uses England IMD 2019 income score only (Scotland SIMD is a different scale). Salt proxy is a simplified NWSRG-style dry-salt sum from air Tmin; coastalness is distance from the area centroid to the nearest coastline.

Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.

Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 21%–33% failing.

Honda CR-V survival: which cars are still on the road

By age 19 is well below the reference at 45.1%, against 100.0% at the ages 4–6 reference level.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Honda CR-V survival: which cars are still on the road — 2024 UK MOT data

Chart axes: car age, years · survival vs ages 4–6 · scale 0–105%.

Survival vs fail rate by age
AgeTestsSurvival vs ages 4–6Fail %
360,36682.8%7.49%
464,90989%9.77%
573,989100%11.01%
679,893100%12.37%
783,152100%14%
881,383100%15.85%
977,544100%17.82%
1073,295100%20.49%
1170,76997%23.85%
1274,267100%28.75%
1373,458100%32.88%
1475,377100%36.36%
1572,28899.1%40.38%
1668,44793.9%43.38%
1759,88582.1%45.8%
1844,26560.7%47.08%
1932,88345.1%48.5%

By age 19, only about 45% as many cars of this family present for MOT as at ages 4–6 (reference n≈72,930); survivors still fail at 48.5% vs 9.8% at age 4. Older cars that still appear are a selected subset — weaker ones have already left.

How many miles does a Honda CR-V last?

100,000+ miles is highest at 39.0%; 200,000+ miles is lowest at 1.4% — the gap is 37.6 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

OdometerTests ≥ thresholdShare of sample
100,000+ miles475,46739.04%
150,000+ miles133,79010.99%
200,000+ miles17,4901.44%

Of 1,217,924 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 39.0% had reached 100k miles, 11.0% had reached 150k miles, 1.4% had reached 200k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.

How many years is a Honda CR-V likely to last?

Bought at age 5 is highest at 13.3 years; Bought at age 15 is lowest at 3.3 years — the gap is 10.0 years.

bigger number = longer remaining lifeyears on the observed survival curve

Age nowTypical mileage (p50)Expected years left
5—13.3
8—10.3
10—8.3
12—6.3
15—at least 3.3

estimateEstimate only — not a warranty: a typical 10-year-old example of this family has about 8.3 expected years of further MOT-present life on the 2024 survival curve. Derived from how many cars of each age still appear for test, not from a longitudinal panel.

Honda CR-V faults that come together

Body & structure + Emissions & leaks stand out at 7.52×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.

above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less

Group AGroup BTogetherLift
Body, chassis, structureNoise, emissions and leaks7,6677.52×
Noise, emissions and leaksSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1,8217.02×
Identification of the vehicleRoad Wheels406.17× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleNoise, emissions and leaks3545.38× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1,9905.25×
BrakesSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems2,8385.04×
BrakesNoise, emissions and leaks7,6005.02×
Road WheelsSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1274.96× (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksRoad Wheels3374.9× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems1174.78× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSpeedometer and speed limiter274.43× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentNoise, emissions and leaks16,6924.4×
SteeringSuspension40,3814.29×
Speedometer and speed limiterSuspension264.28× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureIdentification of the vehicle4074.24× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems5,9344.21×
BrakesRoad Wheels6284.21×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSuspension5,8374.15×
Identification of the vehicleTyres5174.14×
BrakesIdentification of the vehicle5683.98×
Body, chassis, structureRoad Wheels3963.94× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1,4043.93×
Noise, emissions and leaksSuspension14,5793.86×
Body, chassis, structureBrakes8,4303.81×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentRoad Wheels1,4233.81×
Road WheelsTyres4923.77× (rough estimate)
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSeat belt installation check313.67× (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19,7123.56×
Body, chassis, structureSuspension19,6533.56×
BrakesTyres10,1623.53×
Identification of the vehicleVisibility6753.51×
BrakesLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment27,7723.38×
Noise, emissions and leaksTyres4,4753.38×
Noise, emissions and leaksVisibility6,8573.36×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsVisibility2,5373.34×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsTyres1,6233.29×
BrakesSuspension25,2503.08×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSuspension62,9003.07×
Body, chassis, structureSteering7,7943.07×
Identification of the vehicleSuspension1,0863.05×
Noise, emissions and leaksSteering5,1392.95×
Road WheelsSuspension1,0932.94×
Road WheelsVisibility5882.93×
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systemsSteering1,8722.89×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentSteering26,8132.84×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentVisibility31,3832.83×
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipmentTyres20,2012.81×
BrakesVisibility12,4292.81×
Body, chassis, structureVisibility8,2582.77×
Road WheelsSteering4682.73× (rough estimate)
Identification of the vehicleSteering4442.71× (rough estimate)
TyresVisibility10,1732.63×
Body, chassis, structureTyres5,0682.62×
SuspensionVisibility26,6232.41×
SuspensionTyres17,2212.4×
BrakesSteering8,9872.38×
SteeringVisibility11,8222.33×
SteeringTyres6,9492.1×
BrakesSeat belt installation check16too few (rough estimate)
BrakesSpeedometer and speed limiter15too few (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSpeedometer and speed limiter14too few (rough estimate)
Speedometer and speed limiterVisibility14too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSuspension14too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkVisibility13too few (rough estimate)
Speedometer and speed limiterSteering12too few (rough estimate)
Buses and coaches supplementary testsLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment11too few (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSpeedometer and speed limiter10too few (rough estimate)
Body, chassis, structureSeat belt installation check10too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkTyres9too few (rough estimate)
Buses and coaches supplementary testsSuspension8too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSteering8too few (rough estimate)
Noise, emissions and leaksSeat belt installation check7too few (rough estimate)
Speedometer and speed limiterTyres7too few (rough estimate)
Seat belt installation checkSeat belts and supplementary restraint systems5too few (rough estimate)

Defects in «Body, chassis, structure» and «Noise, emissions and leaks» appear together 7.52× more often than chance (7,667 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).

Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).

Is low mileage better for a Honda CR-V?

Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 12.3%, against 21.2% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

BandFail %Tests
<5k miles/year12.32%88,951
8–12k miles/year21.21%308,135
Gap (low − normal)-8.89 pp—
By fuel and age

Diesel

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
57.613,27212.4116,427-4.8 pp
67.483,65013.3420,350-5.86 pp
78.983,75414.922,278-5.92 pp
89.253,54716.8522,859-7.6 pp
911.273,02518.8821,657-7.61 pp
1012.732,57622.2721,585-9.54 pp
1115.082,16226.3621,457-11.29 pp
1216.651,96430.9323,424-14.28 pp
1318.291,74435.8323,824-17.54 pp
1421.211,57539.5323,500-18.32 pp

Petrol

AgeLow-use fail %nNormal fail %nGap pp
57.38,26012.857,774-5.55 pp
68.017,86914.068,356-6.06 pp
710.177,45215.718,755-5.53 pp
810.046,70018.248,181-8.19 pp
911.86,28220.48,818-8.61 pp
1014.055,56522.868,411-8.81 pp
1115.24,95427.158,625-11.95 pp
1217.084,66532.839,701-15.75 pp
1320.584,32036.929,802-16.34 pp
1424.134,67140.9511,320-16.83 pp

At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 12.3% vs 21.2% for 8–12k miles/year — 8.9 pp lower (n_low=88,951, n_normal=308,135). In this family low annual use is associated with fewer MOT fails, not more — the ‘garage queen’ penalty is not visible in overall fail rates. Diesel alone: 11.6% low-use vs 20.6% normal (-9.0 pp).

Which Honda CR-V engine is best?

petrol 1.5–1.8 is highest at 115.8; petrol 1.2–1.5 is lowest at 74.5 — the gap is 41.3 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Engine bands against this model's own failure rate at the same ages
FuelCapacityvs own age normRaw fail %Tests
petrol1.2–1.5 litre74.57.24%22,975
petrol1.8–2.0 litre98.330.5%560,869
diesel1.8–2.0 litre99.430.73%3,134 (rough estimate)
diesel1.5–1.8 litre100.212.66%192,496
dieselover 2.0 litre102.929.13%410,437
petrolover 2.0 litre106.431.22%4,142 (rough estimate)
petrol1.5–1.8 litre115.822.28%193 (rough estimate)

Splitting this model by fuel alone hides the thing that actually differs. Within the same badge, the diesel over 2.0 runs at 102.9 against this model's own age norm while the petrol 1.2–1.5 runs at 74.5 — a spread of 28.4 points between two cars that share a name.

Read this one with more care than the rest of the page. Age is held constant, but who buys which engine is not: the largest capacity in a range is often a performance or executive variant that is garaged, cherished and lightly driven, while the smallest is frequently a fleet or entry car worked hard from new. The gap below is real in the test records; how much of it is the engine and how much is the owner, this data cannot separate. Bands under 100 tests are not shown; bands under 5,000 tests are rough estimates.

Best year for a Honda CR-V, and the years to avoid

Build year 2004 is highest at 106.8; Build year 2019 is lowest at 78.2 — the gap is 28.6 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected

Honda CR-V build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected — 2024 UK MOT data
Honda CR-V by build year, tests 2019–2024. Below 100 is better than the model's own age norm.
Every build year with its confidence interval
Build yearvs own age norm95% CIRaw fail %TestsVerdict
202084.778.8–90.67.08%11,186better
201978.274.6–81.87.13%25,293better
2018103.6100.4–106.810.22%38,237worse
201796.594.2–98.910.17%63,435better
201695.793.7–97.611.1%86,601better
201596.494.6–98.212.88%87,117better
201499.798.1–101.415.08%89,744no different
201394.292.6–95.716.23%86,544better
2012101.7100.1–103.320.25%76,244worse
2011100.498.7–10223.05%61,240no different
201093.692.1–9524.61%62,774better
20099492.6–95.428.16%61,028better
200896.395.1–97.632.43%69,975better
2007103.4102.3–104.438.54%99,943worse
2006105.4104.2–106.642.54%69,839worse
2005102.3101.2–103.544.04%68,093worse
2004106.8105.4–108.148.5%48,477worse
2003105.4104–106.849.66%42,878worse
2002101.299.6–102.848.8%30,464no different
200197.394.8–99.847.92%11,871better
200097.694.4–100.849.04%7,451no different
199999.495.3–103.550.86%4,457no different
199893.288–98.547.9%2,518better

The best build year here is 2019 and the weakest is 2004. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 17 of 23 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.

Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.

Honda CR-V MOT repair costs

The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £88.55 to £168.24, against £54.85 for the test itself.

bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only

MOT repairs, budget
£89–168
per test, repairs only
The test itself
£54.85
statutory cap, unchanged since 2010
How the figure is built: chance of failing × typical price of that repair
ComponentFails per 100 testsTypical repairIts priceContribution
Suspension22.2 (nat. 15.36)Suspension coil spring (single corner)£180£39.96
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment22.3 (nat. 18.09)Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid)£140£31.22
Brakes7.8 (nat. 11.25)Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback)£150£11.70
Tyres6.3 (nat. 8.7)Tyre (single mid-range 16" fitted)£90£5.67

Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £89 to £168, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.

Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.

For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.

Honda CR-V running costs for a fleet

Vehicles failing at age 10 stand out at 18.0%, against 9.0% at age 5, tested in the same year.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fails per 100 at age 5
9
vehicles needing work
At age 10
18
other cars of this model tested at age 10 in 2024
Repairs per 100
£8,855
plus £5,485 in test fees
Off the road
1d
median; 41.37% cleared same day
Failure rate and typical odometer by age
AgeFailsMedian odometerTestsGap vs age 5
37.74%22,4765,979-0.8 pp
47.42%27,1385,579-1.1 pp
58.56%33,6578,380+0.0 pp
611.12%43,5629,361+2.6 pp
713.4%53,07511,933+4.8 pp
813.66%62,03614,158+5.1 pp
914.98%71,22914,382+6.4 pp
1017.66%79,71614,708+9.1 pp
1119.04%86,65914,208+10.5 pp
1224.68%91,31812,449+16.1 pp
1327.72%102,6909,838+19.2 pp
1428.81%108,7849,905+20.3 pp
1533.12%124,3129,323+24.6 pp
1637.57%130,39610,327+29.0 pp
1742.01%133,20813,907+33.4 pp
1845.12%134,0309,430+36.6 pp
1946.4%135,6728,673+37.8 pp

The number a fleet manager needs is not the failure rate, it is the year the car starts costing more. Between cars aged 11 and cars aged 12, both tested in 2024, the failure rate of this model is 5.64 percentage points higher — the steepest one-year step in this cross-section of different cars, and a natural planning point for replacement.

Repair spend uses the same modal prices as the section above, so it inherits the same limits: one typical repair per component group, not a full remedy. Downtime is the gap between the failed test and the passed re-test, which is the window a vehicle is legally off the road.

Honda CR-V rust problems: where they corrode

Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility is well below the reference at 0.78×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.

above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less

How it rusts
0.78×
0.59% of tests record a corrosion defect vs 0.77% typical — age-standardised
Salt Belt exposure
77th
percentile among the models published here, from its tests across 116 postcode areas

This Honda CR-V fails on corrosion at about the average rate once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are saltier than most for the models we publish. Both point the same way and reinforce each other: it resists corrosion even though its owners live in saltier areas than most.

Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.

Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.

Does a Honda CR-V advisory become a failure?

Suspension is highest at 29.3%; Identification of the vehicle is lowest at 3.6% — the gap is 25.8 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now

Honda CR-V chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now — 2024 UK MOT data
Honda CR-V, advisory → failure conversion by component group, chained tests 2019–2024. Chart labels and rates: Suspension 29.3% · Lamps & electrical 26.2% · Steering 18.3% · Visibility 12.2% · Body & chassis 11.4% · Brakes 9.8% · Noise, emissions, leaks 8.3% · Tyres 7.9%.
Advisory today → failure at the next test, with how long you have
ComponentFails next timeTypical lead timeMiles of warningAdvisories tracked
Suspension29.3%12 months5,601157,577
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.2%12 months5,96740,891
Steering18.3%12 months6,05815,805
Visibility12.2%12.1 months6,922777
Body, chassis, structure11.4%12 months5,26235,141
Brakes9.8%12 months5,736153,825
Noise, emissions and leaks8.3%12.1 months5,17624,761
Tyres7.8%12 months6,676211,360
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems6.1%12.1 months5,9594,768
Identification of the vehicle3.5%12.1 months6,43516,291

This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.

Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 29 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12 months and roughly 5,601 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.

What will fail next on a Honda CR-V?

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a failure at age 15-19 are highest at 35.9%; Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a passed at age <3 are lowest at 0.9% — the gap is 35.0 percentage points.

higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability

Probability of each component failing at the next test, by age and last result
AgeLast testMost likely next failuresCars tracked
<3passedVisibility 3.7% · Tyres 1.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 0.9%34,268
<3advisoryVisibility 6.2% · Tyres 3.3% · Brakes 1.7%6,432
<3failureVisibility 5.2% · Tyres 3.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 1.9%3,093
3-5passedVisibility 3.8% · Tyres 2.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 2.0%120,449
3-5advisoryVisibility 5.9% · Tyres 4.3% · Brakes 3.3%42,030
3-5failureVisibility 6.1% · Tyres 4.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 3.8%19,696
6-8passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 4.3% · Visibility 4.0% · Suspension 3.6%111,626
6-8advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 6.5% · Visibility 6.2% · Suspension 5.2%58,614
6-8failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.8% · Visibility 6.6% · Suspension 6.3%30,851
9-11passedSuspension 8.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.7% · Steering 4.8%74,784
9-11advisorySuspension 13.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 12.2% · Steering 7.1%55,315
9-11failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.1% · Suspension 15.9% · Steering 8.0%39,765
12-14passedSuspension 16.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 13.7% · Steering 8.8%58,484
12-14advisorySuspension 24.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 19.7% · Steering 13.2%60,071
12-14failureSuspension 27.7% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 26.5% · Steering 13.7%64,012
15-19passedLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 19.7% · Suspension 19.7% · Steering 8.7%43,139
15-19advisoryLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 29.4% · Suspension 29.2% · Steering 13.6%57,528
15-19failureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 35.9% · Suspension 32.5% · Visibility 14.4%81,614
20+passedSuspension 19.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 17.2% · Body, chassis, structure 10.4%4,679
20+advisorySuspension 30.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 26.3% · Body, chassis, structure 14.1%7,291
20+failureSuspension 34.5% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 32.3% · Body, chassis, structure 17.0%10,598
unknownfailureLamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 21.7% · Suspension 15.0% · Body, chassis, structure 13.3%60 (rough estimate)

The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.

The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.

Honda CR-V ownership: what six years of MOTs show

The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 55.2%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 3.5% — the gap is 51.7 percentage points.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Fixed same day
41.37%
of failures re-tested
Fails /10k miles
0.402
miles actually driven
Clean streaks
40.45%
3+ tests, nothing noted
Odometer anomaly
0.713%
reading went backwards

Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 221,747 failures followed through to their re-test, 41.37% were repaired and passed the same day and 55.15% within ten days; the median gap is 1 day. 597,885 defect items were cleared in the process.

Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 0.402 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 5,803 miles a year across 227,210 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.

Two populations hide inside one model. 40.45% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 31.9% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.

Odometer anomalies: 0.713% of 227,306 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 15,921 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.

Honda CR-V safety recalls and how to check yours

DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 41.

bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone

recall campaigns launched per year

Honda CR-V recall campaigns launched per year — 2024 UK MOT data
Campaigns launched per year for the Honda CR-V. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls. Chart values: 2011: 2 · 2012: 2 · 2013: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 5 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2022: 0 · 2023: 0 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 4.
Most recent safety recall campaigns for the Honda CR-V
ReferenceLaunchedVehiclesConcern
R/2025/02431/03/20255,44722-25M Civic and Other Models EPS Gear Box Worm Wheel Swelling Failure 6JP
R/2025/02431/03/20252,63522-25M Civic and Other Models EPS Gear Box Worm Wheel Swelling Failure 6JP
R/2025/02530/01/202535Trailer Hitch Incorrect Part Number Label Attached (Accessory)
R/2025/02530/01/202529Trailer Hitch Incorrect Part Number Label Attached (Accessory)
R/2024/47609/12/2024023-25M High Pressure Fuel Pump Solenoid Component Part Breakage - 6YP
All 41 campaigns
ReferenceLaunchedBuild datesVehiclesConcern
R/2025/02431/03/202519/06/2023 – 11/07/20245,44722-25M Civic and Other Models EPS Gear Box Worm Wheel Swelling Failure 6JP
R/2025/02431/03/202512/04/2023 – 21/06/20242,63522-25M Civic and Other Models EPS Gear Box Worm Wheel Swelling Failure 6JP
R/2025/02530/01/202506/07/2023 – 26/02/202435Trailer Hitch Incorrect Part Number Label Attached (Accessory)
R/2025/02530/01/202527/04/2023 – 07/12/202329Trailer Hitch Incorrect Part Number Label Attached (Accessory)
R/2024/47609/12/202401/10/2021 – 31/08/2024023-25M High Pressure Fuel Pump Solenoid Component Part Breakage - 6YP
R/2024/47609/12/202401/10/2021 – 31/08/20245,44723-25M High Pressure Fuel Pump Solenoid Component Part Breakage - 6YP
R/2024/32011/11/202419/06/2023 – 17/11/20231,23323-24M ZR-V and Others Overspeed Alarm Inoperative
R/2024/32011/11/202412/04/2023 – 08/11/202372023-24M ZR-V and Others Overspeed Alarm Inoperative
R/2023/35702/04/202422/10/2018 – 26/05/20208,320Battery Cable Contact Short Circuit Problem
R/2023/35702/04/202401/06/2020 – 01/07/202210,413Battery Cable Contact Short Circuit Problem
R/2023/35702/04/202422/10/2018 – 26/05/20200Battery Cable Contact Short Circuit Problem
R/2023/35702/04/202401/06/2020 – 01/07/20220Battery Cable Contact Short Circuit Problem
R/2020/37712/02/202107/11/2001 – 06/10/200677,836LIQUID COULD ENTER THE POWER WINDOW MASTER SWITCH AND A SHORT CIRCUIT COULD OCCUR
R/2020/06123/10/202042,435THE ABSORPTION OF MOISTURE INTO THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG PROPELLANT COULD LEAD TO SLOW DEPLOYM
R/2020/18624/08/202026/09/2017 – 06/08/20185,814VEHICLES MAY BE EQUIPPED WITH A FUEL PUMP MODULE MANUFACTURED WITH LOW DENSITY IMPELLARS
R/2020/00831/01/202002/02/2015 – 23/05/201850,823THE REGULATORY REQUIREMENT FOR EMISSIONS LEVELS ARE NOT MET
R/2019/24329/08/201917/11/2000 – 16/12/2014122,397POSSIBLE AIR BAG INFLATOR RUPTURE
R/2019/24429/08/201912/09/2008 – 13/03/20123POSSIBLE AIR BAG INFLATOR RUPTURE
R/2019/24629/08/201926/06/2007 – 21/05/20148POSSIBLE AIR BAG INFLATOR RUPTURE
R/2018/34330/01/201904/02/2010 – 20/05/201521,494TAKATA PASSENGER AIRBAG INFLATOR MAY RUPTURE
R/2018/03023/02/201804/11/2009 – 30/11/201013,272PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2018/03023/02/201827/11/2008 – 27/11/200813,272PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2018/03023/02/201812/11/2009 – 29/11/201013,272PASSENGER AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2017/01728/03/201704/07/2008 – 04/01/201022,805AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2016/12708/08/201601/12/2005 – 31/12/200846,444PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2016/04516/05/201602/03/2004 – 20/05/2015252,174DRIVERS AIRBAG INFLATOR MAY RUPTURE IF DEPLOYED
R/2015/10210/07/201502/09/2014 – 29/09/2014446UNINTENDED BRAKING MAY OCCUR
R/2015/10210/07/201530/08/2012 – 15/10/2014446UNINTENDED BRAKING MAY OCCUR
R/2015/10329/06/2015121,686DRIVERS AIRBAG MAY RUPTURE IF DEPLOYED
R/2015/10429/06/201525/12/2003 – 29/12/2008242,653PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2015/04316/03/201502/01/2003 – 27/12/200331,135PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2014/02717/03/201418/12/2012 – 20/03/20132,363WRONG SIZE BRAKE DISCS COULD REDUCE BRAKE PERFORMANCE
R/2013/04917/04/201305/11/2002 – 27/08/200360,365PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2013/04917/04/201311/12/2001 – 01/11/200260,365PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG MAY FAIL TO DEPLOY CORRECTLY
R/2012/11420/11/201207/11/2001 – 06/10/200677,301FIRE MAY OCCUR
R/2012/04528/05/201207/11/2001 – 16/09/200441,272LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE
R/2011/09631/08/201101/07/2008 – 23/06/2010546POWER STEERING ASSISTANCE MAY FAIL
R/2011/00814/03/201111/08/2010 – 12/10/2010902DIESEL FUEL MAY LEAK FROM FUEL PUMP
R/2010/02017/02/201017/11/2009 – 28/01/2010407FUEL MAY LEAK
R/2003/07816/06/200303/03/2003 – 12/03/2003288POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO INNER SIDEWALL OF TYRE
R/2002/07106/08/200253,175IGNITION SWITCH MAY FAIL

DVSA lists 41 safety recall campaigns for the Honda CR-V, covering roughly 1,409,678 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.

Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.

Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.

Honda CR-V technical service bulletins: what dealers are told

US market, Honda CR-V and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only. A count of bulletins, not a UK failure rate.

NHTSA manufacturer communications are 628.

bigger number = more recorded dealer communicationsnot affected vehicles or confirmed faults

These are the issues the manufacturer fixes quietly: service communications sent to dealers without a public recall campaign. They show what the service network has been told even when the issue never became news.

United States · NHTSA manufacturer communications

US technical service bulletins by communication year; leading subjects cover the full file
Communication yearBulletinsLeading subjects across all years
20144
  • Electrical system (142)
  • Equipment (100)
  • Engine and cooling (77)
  • Powertrain (65)
  • Petrol fuel system (63)
  • Visibility (59)
  • Engine (49)
  • Air Bags (40)
201539
201669
201759
201860
201979
202071
202196
202259
202330
202444
20255
202613

Caveat worth stating plainly: this is NHTSA data about US-specification cars. British cars sold under the same name often use different gearboxes, engines and equipment, so a bulletin may describe a component that was never fitted here. The file counts dealer communications, not affected vehicles or confirmed failures, and it cannot tell you whether an individual UK car has the issue. A communication can carry more than one subject tag, so topic counts do not have to add up to the total. Source: NHTSA Manufacturer Communications API (US-market vehicles; queried model years 2015-2022). Licence: U.S. Government work / public domain · retrieved 2026-09-25.

Honda CR-V owner complaints: what goes wrong

US market, Honda CR-V and its variants, model years 2015–2022 only. A count of owner complaints, not a UK failure rate; NHTSA has no UK denominator.

Engine (not MOT-tested) is highest at 1,717; Restraints are lowest at 359 — the gap is 1,358.

bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone

Owner complaints (US) against actual MOT failures (UK) for the same component groups
ComponentComplaintsShareMOT fail items per 100MOT rankAgreement
Engine (not MOT-tested)1,71723.6%not in top 6—complained about, rarely an MOT failure
Lamps & electrical1,20016.5%22.3#1complained about and fails often
Steering94713.0%8.9#3complained about and fails often
Brakes6318.7%7.8#5complained about, fails occasionally
Transmission (not MOT-tested)4886.7%not in top 6—complained about, rarely an MOT failure
Restraints3594.9%not in top 6—complained about, rarely an MOT failure

Two different populations answering two different questions: the MOT records what an inspector can measure once a year, the complaint file records what annoyed or frightened an owner on the road. A component high in one column and absent from the other is the interesting case — driver-assistance and electronics dominate complaints while almost never appearing as an MOT failure item.

What the reports actually say
Vehicle stalls when it sits overnight and is put in reverse. Stalk happens after going in reverse for a few feet such as backing out of the driveway or parking space
NHTSA complaint, filed 09/07/2026 · POWER TRAIN
I was hit on 5/29/26. I was going 40mph or so and a car turned left into the front and side of my vehicle. My airbags did not deploy and was wondering why? I got whiplash bad and hurt myself as well as slamming into steering wheel.
NHTSA complaint, filed 06/10/2026 · AIR BAGS

US owners have filed 7,265 complaints about the equivalent Honda CR-V to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, including 252 that mention a crash, 21 a fire and 223 an injury. These are owner reports, not verified findings — but they are the only large public record of what drivers themselves notice, and they cover the years between MOT tests.

Caveat worth stating plainly: US-specification cars, self-selected reporters, no denominator — complaint counts scale with how many cars were sold there and how motivated owners are to file. The mechanical gap matters as much as the statistical one: American cars of the same name often carry different gearboxes, engines and equipment — automatics where Britain buys manuals — so a drivetrain complaint filed in Ohio may describe a part that was never fitted here. Read the ranking inside a model, not between models, and treat drivetrain entries with particular caution. Source: NHTSA ODI consumer complaints (US market, public domain) — US-spec vehicles, indicative only.

Honda CR-V inspection results in other countries

Finland Katsastus is well below the reference at 20.5%, against 26.3% nationally.

higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points

Same model, different national inspection regimes
CountryTestThis model failsNational averagePositionSample
United KingdomMOT (class 4)25.9%26.01%-0.1 pp199,867
FinlandKatsastus20.5%26.3%-5.8 pp18,576
NorwayPKK37.7%33.7%+4 pp14,720
NetherlandsAPK50%50.8%-0.8 pp7,762

The countries disagree about this car, and that is worth saying out loud rather than averaging away. A model can sit above its national average in one country and below it in another because the fleets are not the same cars: different model years, different engines, different roads and salt, and inspection rules that weight components differently. Treat each row as evidence from one regime, not as a verdict.

The exact faults Netherlands records — APK defect codes, 2024
CodeFaultRecordedType
210Tyre pressure not at the correct value1,961failure
205Tyre with insufficient tread803failure
497Number-plate light not working or missing586failure
516Dipped headlight incorrectly aimed495failure
AC1Tyre down to 1.6–2.5 mm of tread469advisory
250Steering gaiter split, no longer sealing456failure
188Stofhoes fuseekogel beschadigd en dicht niet af433failure
391Wipers leave insufficient visibility429failure

Worth dwelling on how mundane the top of that list is: tyre pressure, tread depth, headlight aim. The Dutch APK records 1.292 defects per inspection against a much higher national failure rate than Britain's, and the reason is not that Dutch cars are worse — it is that the two regimes draw the line between "note it" and "fail it" in different places. Codes are the RDW's own; the English wording here is our translation of the Dutch original.

Britain is not the only country that inspects every car every year, and the Honda CR-V is on the road in all of them. Each national regime writes its own rules, so the pass rates below are not comparable to each other — what does travel across a border is whether a model sits above or below its own country's average.

Rows with fewer than 500 inspections are not published. Sources: Traficom — Periodic inspections of cars by model / by model and fault object 2024, CC BY 4.0; Statens vegvesen — Periodisk kjøretøykontroll (PKK) 2024, CC BY 4.0; RDW open data — Meldingen Keuringsinstantie + Geconstateerde Gebreken + Gekentekende voertuigen (2024), CC0. Not an RDW endorsement.. Adapted; licences and full notice.

Honda CR-V MOT: quick answers

Honda CR-V MOT Risk Index is well below the reference at 80.3, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

What is the Honda CR-V first-time MOT pass rate?
74.1% of first attempts passed in 2024 (199,867 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
Why does this number differ from other sites?
Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 25.9% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 199,867 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 80.3 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.

Compare the Honda CR-V with other cars

Mercedes-Benz E-Class is highest at 80.7; Toyota Prius is lowest at 80.0 — the gap is 0.7 points.

below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age

Same brand

All Honda MOT statisticsHonda Jazz MOT statsHonda e MOT stats

Similar risk

Toyota Prius (index 80.0)BMW 3 Series (index 80.7)Mercedes-Benz E-Class (index 80.7)

Same size class

how Vauxhall Insignia compareshow Vauxhall Zafira compareshow Skoda Octavia compares

By build year

Honda CR-V 1998Honda CR-V 1999Honda CR-V 2000Honda CR-V 2001Honda CR-V 2002Honda CR-V 2003Honda CR-V 2004Honda CR-V 2005Honda CR-V 2006Honda CR-V 2007Honda CR-V 2008Honda CR-V 2009Honda CR-V 2010Honda CR-V 2011Honda CR-V 2012Honda CR-V 2013Honda CR-V 2014Honda CR-V 2015Honda CR-V 2016Honda CR-V 2017Honda CR-V 2018Honda CR-V 2019Honda CR-V 2020

By area

Honda CR-V MOT failure rate by postcode area

By failure group

Honda CR-V body, chassis and structure failuresHonda CR-V brakes failuresHonda CR-V vehicle identification failuresHonda CR-V lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresHonda CR-V noise, emissions and leaks failuresHonda CR-V road wheels failuresHonda CR-V seat belts and airbags failuresHonda CR-V steering failuresHonda CR-V suspension failuresHonda CR-V tyres failuresHonda CR-V visibility failures

Inspections abroad

Honda CR-V in NorwayHonda CR-V in FinlandHonda CR-V in the Netherlands


Data details & how to cite

Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:honda-cr-v:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.

Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Honda CR-V MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/honda-cr-v/ · Published 2026-07-30.