Does the Honda Insight fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Honda Insight records 8.35 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 13.17 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.82, 95% interval −5.11 to −4.53). It ranks 563 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Honda Insight by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Honda Insight is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 1,543 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 1,543 | 2.60 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 552 | 0.93 |
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 538 | 0.90 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 404 | 0.68 |
| Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. | 303 | 0.51 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 59,456 (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 Insight gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
8.9% of Honda Insight MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,117 miles later (10,069 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 10,069 (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 Insight 2009 · Honda Insight 2010 · Honda Insight 2011 · Honda Insight 2012 · Honda Insight 2013 · Honda Insight 2014 · Honda Insight in Finland · Honda Insight in the Netherlands · Honda Insight by postcode area · Honda Insight body, chassis and structure failures · Honda Insight vehicle identification failures · Honda Insight lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Honda Insight noise, emissions and leaks failures · Honda Insight road wheels failures · Honda Insight seat belts and airbags failures · Honda Insight steering failures · Honda Insight suspension failures · Honda Insight tyres failures · Honda Insight visibility failures