Honda C90 MOT Pass Rate
Overall pass rate across all manufacture years, based on 62,086 real MOT test results. Failure rate: 19.9%.
Data from official DVSA MOT testing records
Honda C90 MOT Reliability Overview
The Honda C90 is a moderately popular vehicle in the UK, with 62,086 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 38 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 80.1% and a failure rate of 19.9%, which is well above the UK average of approximately 37%.
Based on this data, the Honda C90 earns a "Excellent" reliability rating. The average Honda C90 presents for MOT with approximately 20,583 miles on the clock. Manufacture year matters: 1968 models achieve the highest pass rate at 93.9%, while 1974 models have the lowest at 76.6%. This 17.3 percentage point difference suggests notable variation in build quality or component durability across production years.
The most common MOT failure for the Honda C90 is Motorcycle lighting and signalling, affecting 11.5% of all tests. Motorcycle lighting and signalling issues are a common cause of MOT failure. Regular inspection and maintenance of these components helps ensure your vehicle passes its MOT. The second most common issue is Motorcycle steering and suspension at 7.8%. Motorcycle tyres and wheels rounds out the top three at 7.4%. Together, these top 3 failure categories account for a significant portion of all MOT failures for this model.
Top failures across all manufacture years combined. Individual year pages may show different top failures.
What Fails Most
Best Year to Buy
📈 How Each Vintage Ages
Tracking how each manufacture year's MOT pass rate changes as the car ages. Showing 19 vintages — click year chips to highlight.
Multi-line chart showing how different Honda C90 vintages degrade over time, from age 3 to 39 years.
Only vintages with 100+ tests in at least 3 different test years are shown. Fleet average is the UK-wide pass rate for all cars at each age.
📉 How Age Affects Reliability
MOT failure rate by vehicle age for the Honda C90. The dashed red line marks when the manufacturer warranty typically expires (3 years).
Line chart showing MOT failure rate by vehicle age from 7 to 20 years, with warranty expiry marked at 3 years.
💡 What does the warranty cliff mean?
The Honda C90 shows a relatively stable failure rate after warranty — the change of 0% is negligible. Peak failure occurs at age 10 (25.6% fail rate).
Note: pass rates may improve for very old vehicles due to survivorship bias — only well-maintained cars remain on the road.
Pass Rate by Manufacture Year
* High Fail Rate badge indicates an MOT pass rate below 65% (failure rate above 35%).
What Fails on This Car?
Click a category to see specific failure items.
View as table
| Rank | Failure Category | Rate (%) | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorcycle Lighting And Signalling | 14.9% | 9,274 |
| 2 | Motorcycle Steering And Suspension | 9.8% | 6,066 |
| 3 | Motorcycle Tyres And Wheels | 8.9% | 5,510 |
| 4 | Motorcycle Brakes | 7.7% | 4,768 |
| 5 | Motorcycle Drive System | 3.2% | 1,963 |
| 6 | Motorcycle Lamps And Reflectors | 2.7% | 1,687 |
| 7 | Motorcycle Body And Structure | 2.2% | 1,355 |
| 8 | Motorcycle Fuel And Exhaust | 1.7% | 1,063 |
| 9 | Motorcycle Structure And Attachments | 1.2% | 773 |
| 10 | Motorcycle Suspension | 1.0% | 592 |
| 11 | Motorcycle Tyres | 0.8% | 508 |
| 12 | Motorcycle Wheels | 0.8% | 492 |
| 13 | Motorcycle Steering | 0.7% | 452 |
| 14 | Motorcycle Reg Plates And Vin | 0.6% | 366 |
| 15 | Motorcycle Audible Warning (Horn) | 0.4% | 246 |
Failures per 10,000 Miles
avg. 20,583 miFor every 10,000 miles driven, this shows what percentage of MOT tests fail for each category. This accounts for how far cars are actually driven, not just raw pass/fail counts.
View as table
| Category | Rate / 10K mi | Raw % | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcycle lighting and signalling | 7.26 | 14.9% | 9,274 |
| Motorcycle steering and suspension | 4.75 | 9.8% | 6,066 |
| Motorcycle tyres and wheels | 4.31 | 8.9% | 5,510 |
| Motorcycle brakes | 3.73 | 7.7% | 4,768 |
| Motorcycle drive system | 1.54 | 3.2% | 1,963 |
| Motorcycle lamps and reflectors | 1.32 | 2.7% | 1,687 |
| Motorcycle body and structure | 1.06 | 2.2% | 1,355 |
| Motorcycle fuel and exhaust | 0.83 | 1.7% | 1,063 |
| Motorcycle structure and attachments | 0.60 | 1.2% | 773 |
| Motorcycle suspension | 0.46 | 1.0% | 592 |
| Motorcycle tyres | 0.40 | 0.8% | 508 |
| Motorcycle wheels | 0.39 | 0.8% | 492 |
| Motorcycle steering | 0.35 | 0.7% | 452 |
| Motorcycle reg plates and vin | 0.29 | 0.6% | 366 |
| Motorcycle audible warning (Horn) | 0.19 | 0.4% | 246 |
🚗 Similar Cars to Consider
Mileage at MOT
The average Honda C90 has 20,583 miles when tested for MOT.
📊 Mileage-Adjusted Failure Rate
How often this car fails MOT relative to how much it's driven — a fairer comparison than raw pass rate.
The Honda C90 has a mileage-adjusted failure rate of 9.67% per 10,000 miles driven. The average across all makes is 5.38%, so this model is worse than average.
About Honda C90 MOT Data
The Honda C90 is a moderately popular vehicle in the UK, with 62,086 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 38 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 80.1% and a failure rate of 19.9%, which is well above the UK average of approximately 37%.
For Honda C90 owners, these results suggest a reliable vehicle that generally passes its MOT without major issues. Focus your pre-MOT checks on motorcycle lighting and signalling and motorcycle steering and suspension for the best chance of a first-time pass. Use our detailed year-by-year breakdown and failure analysis below to understand how your specific C90 is likely to perform.
Motorcycle lighting and signalling — 11.5% of failures
Motorcycle lighting and signalling issues account for 11.5% of MOT failures on the Honda C90. Motorcycle lighting and signalling issues are a common cause of MOT failure. Regular inspection and maintenance of these components helps ensure your vehicle passes its MOT. Typical repair costs: £100–400. Pre-MOT check: Have this system checked during regular servicing. Look for warning signs like unusual noises, vibrations, or dashboard warning lights.
Motorcycle steering and suspension — 7.8% of failures
Motorcycle steering and suspension issues account for 7.8% of MOT failures on the Honda C90. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. Typical repair costs: £200–500. Pre-MOT check: Look for uneven tyre wear, listen for clunking over bumps, and check if the car pulls to one side. A bouncy ride suggests worn shock absorbers. Visually inspect coil springs for cracks.
Motorcycle tyres and wheels — 7.4% of failures
Motorcycle tyres and wheels issues account for 7.4% of MOT failures on the Honda C90. Tyre failures include tread depth below the legal minimum of 1.6mm, cuts, bulges, exposed cords, and incorrect tyre pressure. Tyres are one of the most common and easiest-to-prevent MOT failures. Typical repair costs: £50–200 per tyre. Pre-MOT check: Check tread depth with a 20p coin — if the outer band is visible, the tyre is too worn. Look for bulges, cuts, or embedded objects. Ensure all tyres match the recommended size and load rating.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Honda C90?
Based on 62,086 MOT tests in our database, the Honda C90 has an overall pass rate of 80.1% (19.9% fail rate).
What are the most common MOT failures on a Honda C90?
The top 3 reasons a Honda C90 fails its MOT are: 1. Motorcycle lighting and signalling (11.5%), 2. Motorcycle steering and suspension (7.8%), 3. Motorcycle tyres and wheels (7.4%). Check these areas before booking your MOT.
Is the Honda C90 reliable?
With a 19.9% MOT failure rate, the C90 is more reliable than average compared to the UK average of ~40%.
What should I check before an MOT on my Honda C90?
Based on failure data, focus on: Motorcycle lighting and signalling (11.5%); Motorcycle steering and suspension (7.8%); Motorcycle tyres and wheels (7.4%). These are the areas most likely to cause a fail. Also check all lights, tyres (minimum 1.6mm tread), and windscreen condition — these are quick wins that apply to all cars.
Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.