Honda Civic, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
243,193 Honda Civics are licensed in the UK, the 35th most common model on the road. In 2025 they passed 67.1% of initial MOT tests, 5.2 points below the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Civic? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Honda Civic at the MOT
67.1% of 260,618 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Civic 400th of 575 models. Honda Civics aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 58.5%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Honda Civic tests in 2025.
Where Civics fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Honda Civic tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (7%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (6.2%) and stop lamp not working (4.1%).
The MOT page lists every common Civic MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Civic's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.34.5% of Civic failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19.1% of Civic failure items
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Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.14.3% of Civic failure items
Honda Civics in the UK
243,193 were licensed at the end of June 2026, the 2nd most of any Honda. The number licensed has fallen 42% since the end of 2014.
- Change since 2014
- −42%from 419,539 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2012half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2012 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 2,190against 17,533 in 2016
- Declared off the road
- 46,41716% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Honda Civics since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 419,539 |
| End of 2015 | 410,617 |
| End of 2016 | 403,747 |
| End of 2017 | 391,659 |
| End of 2018 | 378,874 |
| End of 2019 | 365,513 |
| End of 2020 | 346,251 |
| End of 2021 | 326,960 |
| End of 2022 | 308,340 |
| End of 2023 | 290,015 |
| End of 2024 | 271,169 |
| End of 2025 | 252,004 |
| End of June 2026 | 243,193 |
How old they are
Licensed Honda Civics by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
A further 35,519 were first used before 2006.
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,971 | 2,190 |
| 2024 | 2,902 | 3,119 |
| 2023 | 2,213 | 2,421 |
| 2022 | 1,353 | 1,565 |
| 2021 | 4,830 | 5,229 |
| 2020 | 5,428 | 5,962 |
| 2019 | 12,196 | 13,555 |
| 2018 | 13,167 | 15,392 |
| 2017 | 14,158 | 16,174 |
| 2016 | 16,076 | 17,533 |
| 2015 | 14,913 | 16,886 |
| 2014 | 14,294 | |
| 2013 | 14,975 | |
| 2012 | 12,657 | |
| 2011 | 10,369 | |
| 2010 | 14,809 | |
| 2009 | 15,922 | |
| 2008 | 16,104 | |
| 2007 | 16,389 | |
| 2006 | 9,941 |
14,913 Civics first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 88% of the 16,886 first registered that year.
Civic engines and fuel
1.8 litre engines made up 29% of Honda Civic MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 23%. Petrol accounts for 73% of licensed Civics and diesel for 22%. Electric examples were 0.2% of tests.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 260,572 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed Civics
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 177,244 | 73% |
| Diesel | 53,860 | 22% |
| Hybrid electric | 11,986 | 5% |
| Gas | 103 | <0.1% |
Honda Civic recalls
30 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Honda Civic. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Civic is affected.
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Feb 2026 R/2026/025
Civic Wheel Steel Bushes Missing (Accessory)
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the alloy steel bushes may be missing in all five positions of the alloy wheel. This may result in the wheel nuts falling off or in the worst-case scenario wheel detachment.
- Remedy
- Inspect the wheels for the presence of bush and replace wheel(s) in case of missing bushes.
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Mar 2025 R/2025/024
22-25M Civic and Other Models EPS Gear Box Worm Wheel Swelling Failure 6JP
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles due to decrease of the grease amount in the worm wheel gear meshing area of the EPS gear box during use the sliding resistance at the meshing area increases and the torque fluctuation when turning the steering becomes larger resulting in an abnormal noise or a dangerous sticking occurs when turning the steering.
- Remedy
- For the Honda Civic (FL4 FE1) CR-V and ZR-V models replace the worm gear pre-load spring with a countermeasure part and add grease. For the Honda Civic Type R (FL5) model replace the Steering Gearbox with a countermeasure part.
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Dec 2024 R/2024/476
23-25M High Pressure Fuel Pump Solenoid Component Part Breakage - 6YP
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles due to manufacturing issues the high pressure fuel pump could leak
- Remedy
- On the affected vehicles check for leaks and replace the high pressure pump if necessary
-
Dec 2024 R/2024/389
23YM Civic Lithium-Ion Battery Negative Terminal Defect
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles the Hybrid HV battery may develop a fault where battery electrolyte leakage occurs that may result in a vehicle fire in a worst-case scenario.
- Remedy
- Replace the Hybrid HV battery with a modified component.
-
Nov 2024 R/2024/320
23-24M ZR-V and Others Overspeed Alarm Inoperative
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- On affected vehicles after cancelling the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) the ISA (Intelligent Speed Assistance) will not alert the driver when over speed.
- Remedy
- Update Multipurpose Camera Unit with modified software.
-
Oct 2020 R/2020/061
The absorption of moisture into the driver's air bag propellant could lead to slow deployment or inflator rupture
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The absorption of moisture into the driver's airbag propellant could lead to slow deployment or inflator rupture.
- Remedy
- Replace the airbag inflator or the airbag assembly. Honda is still preparing for the development and production of the remedy parts.
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Aug 2020 R/2020/186
Vehicles may be equipped with a fuel pump module manufactured with low density impellars
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Affected vehicles may be equipped with a fuel pump module manufactured with low density impellers.
- Remedy
- The affected fuel pumps will be replaced.
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Jan 2020 R/2020/008
The regulatory requirement for emissions levels are not met
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software in the Engine Control Unit to improve the performance of the emissions control system
Civic vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
Other Honda models
The most-tested Honda models in 2025, against the Civic's 67.1% MOT pass rate.
Honda Civic FAQs
How many Honda Civics are there in the UK?
243,193 Honda Civics were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 46,417 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Honda Civic reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 67.1% first-time pass rate for the Honda Civic across 260,618 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Honda Civic had any recalls?
30 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Honda Civic. The most recent was published in February 2026. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Honda Civic?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Honda Civic's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found a Civic?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,382 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Honda history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Honda VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to July 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.