Honda Jazz Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Honda Jazz passes its MOT first time on 74.9% of tests, 4.3 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (70.6%). That puts it ahead of 72% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2016 Jazz does best (beats 93% of cars) and the 2007 worst (beats 49%).

Of its engines, the 1.5 Hybrid does best (beats 94%) and the 1.2 Petrol worst (beats 68%).

Better than average on suspension, emissions & leaks, body & structure.

Watch these weak spots

Handbrake performance1.8×as often as a typical car

Brake pads1.6×as often as a typical car

Ball joint dust covers1.5×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Honda JazzTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 52%

Beats 58%

Beats 57%

Beats 53%

Beats 54%

Beats 49%

Beats 52%

Beats 81%

Beats 83%

Beats 91%

Beats 90%

Beats 90%

Beats 89%

Beats 91%

Beats 93%

Beats 89%

Beats 89%

Beats 89%

Beats 91%

Beats 91%

Beats 90%

Beats 85%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	2002–2020	2,382,520	74.4%	Beats 71%	B
1.2 Petrol	2004–2015	301,387	70.2%	Beats 68%	B
1.5 Hybrid	2013–2023	90,777	93.0%	Beats 94%	A
1.3 Hybrid	2011–2015	30,449	82.4%	Beats 95%	A
1.5 Petrol	2018–2019	29,739	91.8%	Beats 95%	A
1.3 OT	2011–2012	3,298	84.5%	Beats 99%	A

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Brakes: 8.1% of tests fail on brakes, against 7.0% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Brake firmly on the test drive: the car should stop straight with no pulsing or grinding.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

10.3% vs 12.2%

Brakes

8.1% vs 7.0%

Suspension

6.1% vs 9.6%

Visibility

5.4% vs 5.1%

Tyres

4.8% vs 5.8%

Emissions & leaks

2.3% vs 3.2%

Body & structure

2.0% vs 3.7%

Steering

0.6% vs 1.8%

Seat belts & airbags

0.6% vs 1.1%

Wheels

0.2% vs 0.3%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Handbrake performance 1.8× typical
Check the handbrake holds the car firmly on a slope.
Brake pads 1.6× typical
Ask when the pads were last replaced and look for a brake-wear warning on the dash.
Sidelights
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Windscreen wipers
Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.
Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Honda JazzTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Sidelights	3.8%	2.8%	1.3×
Windscreen wipers	3.4%	2.5%	1.4×
Tyre damage & cracking	3.0%	3.4%	0.9×
Headlight aim	2.7%	3.4%	0.8×
Brake pads	2.5%	1.6%	1.6×
Handbrake performance	2.5%	1.4%	1.8×
Headlight bulbs & units	1.9%	2.2%	0.8×
Brake lights	1.8%	2.5%	0.7×
Windscreen washers	1.6%	2.2%	0.7×
Brake performance	1.6%	1.3%	1.2×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	34.1
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	33.4
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	27.0
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	23.8
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	22.8
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	22.1
A tyre seriously damaged	20.5
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	18.6

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2023 Honda Jazz1 engine93.2% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	4,472	93.2%	Beats 85%	A

2022 Honda Jazz1 engine93.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	19,878	93.4%	Beats 90%	A

2021 Honda Jazz1 engine92.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	41,562	92.8%	Beats 91%	A

2020 Honda Jazz2 engines92.6% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	22,300	93.3%	Beats 95%	A
1.3 Petrol	19,177	91.8%	Beats 81%	A

2019 Honda Jazz2 engines91.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	72,068	91.8%	Beats 88%	A
1.5 Petrol	9,393	92.2%	Beats 94%	A

2018 Honda Jazz2 engines90.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	98,471	90.6%	Beats 88%	A
1.5 Petrol	20,346	91.7%	Beats 95%	A

2017 Honda Jazz1 engine90.0% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	123,112	90.0%	Beats 89%	A

2016 Honda Jazz1 engine89.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	144,624	89.4%	Beats 93%	A

2015 Honda Jazz3 engines87.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	146,181	87.9%	Beats 91%	A
1.2 Petrol	6,984	85.2%	Beats 77%	B
1.3 Hybrid	3,451	87.6%	Beats 94%	A

2014 Honda Jazz4 engines85.2% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol report →	142,009	85.7%	Beats 91%	A
1.2 Petrol	24,203	81.7%	Beats 73%	B
1.3 Hybrid	5,842	85.7%	Beats 94%	A
1.5 Hybrid	1,557	90.3%	Beats 100%	A

2013 Honda Jazz4 engines82.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	147,438	83.2%	Beats 91%	A
1.2 Petrol	28,973	80.3%	Beats 82%	A
1.3 Hybrid	5,230	82.1%	Beats 93%	A
1.5 Hybrid	1,008	88.9%	Beats 100%	A

2012 Honda Jazz4 engines80.5% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	154,589	80.8%	Beats 90%	A
1.2 Petrol	22,416	77.9%	Beats 83%	A
1.3 Hybrid	8,074	81.3%	Beats 96%	A
1.3 OT	1,253	84.4%	Beats 97%	A

2011 Honda Jazz4 engines78.6% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	135,984	79.0%	Beats 91%	A
1.2 Petrol	28,361	76.2%	Beats 85%	A
1.3 Hybrid	7,852	79.0%	Beats 95%	A
1.3 OT	2,045	84.5%	Beats 99%	A

2010 Honda Jazz2 engines73.7% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	149,387	74.3%	Beats 85%	A
1.2 Petrol	45,300	72.0%	Beats 77%	B

2009 Honda Jazz2 engines71.5% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	172,164	71.6%	Beats 81%	A
1.2 Petrol	41,559	71.3%	Beats 81%	A

2008 Honda Jazz2 engines62.4% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	163,921	62.4%	Beats 52%	C
1.2 Petrol	27,123	62.1%	Beats 56%	C

2007 Honda Jazz2 engines60.5% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	170,364	60.6%	Beats 49%	C
1.2 Petrol	24,149	59.4%	Beats 50%	C

2006 Honda Jazz2 engines59.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	167,971	59.9%	Beats 54%	C
1.2 Petrol	26,629	58.7%	Beats 53%	C

2005 Honda Jazz2 engines57.6% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	142,996	57.9%	Beats 54%	C
1.2 Petrol	22,624	55.9%	Beats 50%	C

2004 Honda Jazz2 engines57.5% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	119,553	57.5%	Beats 57%	C
1.2 Petrol	3,066	55.5%	Beats 50%	C

2003 Honda Jazz1 engine57.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	74,128	57.2%	Beats 58%	C

2002 Honda Jazz1 engine54.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.3 Petrol	38,383	54.8%	Beats 52%	C

FAQ

What is the Honda Jazz MOT pass rate?

74.9% of MOT tests on the Honda Jazz were passed first time, based on 2,838,170 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2002–2023. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 70.6% of the time.

Is the Honda Jazz reliable?

On MOT results it rates B (good): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 72% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Honda Jazz year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2016 Jazz does best for its age and mileage: it beats 93% of cars on UK roads. The 2007 does worst: it beats 49%.

Which Honda Jazz engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.5 Hybrid does best: it beats 94% of cars on UK roads. The 1.2 Petrol does worst: it beats 68%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Honda Jazz?

The most common failure items are sidelights, windscreen wipers, tyre damage & cracking. Compared with similar cars, handbrake performance comes up 1.8× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Honda Jazz reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ