Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Honda Jazz 2014: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 81 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2014 Honda Jazz were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

At the same mileage, a hybrid 2014 Honda Jazz passed first time more often than a petrol one: 87 in every 100 against 81 in every 100.

At a glance

How 19,643 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
81 in every 100
Did not pass first time
19 in every 1003,730 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
11 yearsabout 51,404 miles
First tests counted
19,643

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre condition (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Brake pads (rear)8 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2014 Honda Jazz vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front): 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,730 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 123 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 269 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A suspension joint dust cover that is severely deteriorated is Minor. It becomes Major once it is missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, so what matters is whether it still keeps dirt out. DVSA words this for any suspension joint dust cover, and files it here under anti-roll bars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 110 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: individual sidelight or tail light (front), 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual sidelight or tail light (front)

Failed on 739 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A position lamp showing red light to the front or white light to the rear is Major. Rear lamps must show a steady red light, and front ones can show white, predominantly white with a blue tinge, or yellow if combined in a yellow headlamp. With a multiple light source, up to half not working is Minor and more than half is Major.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

Two wear patterns. The strongest is the brake pads (rear): 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (rear)

Failed on 305 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 351 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 115 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 501 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen wipers, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen wipers

Failed on 250 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Only a clearly damaged or worn windscreen wiper needs to be rejected. A wiper that is missing or not working is graded Major, and so is a blade that is missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen. A defective blade is graded Minor.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Brake pedal

Noted on 55 first tests6.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 156 first tests4.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 38 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Seat belt condition (rear)

Noted on 27 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
81in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
13in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 81.0% of 19,643 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 86.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 13 not fixed make the 19 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

By fuel type

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol18,39751,120 miles8181
Hybrid1,24254,362 miles8787

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002005201020142020Older carsNewer cars
406080100201020142020Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 82 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200254 in every 1002,017
200354 in every 1004,846
200453 in every 1008,877
200553 in every 10013,028
200654 in every 10016,652
200755 in every 10017,686
200855 in every 10018,460
200964 in every 10022,436
201067 in every 10020,956
201173 in every 10019,446
201275 in every 10021,045
201378 in every 10020,706
2014 This car81 in every 10019,643
201584 in every 10017,388
201686 in every 10018,007
201788 in every 10017,579
201889 in every 10019,669
201990 in every 10016,298
202091 in every 10010,396
202193 in every 10014,213
202294 in every 10010,311

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2014 Jazz.

Of 2014 Jazz vehicles with under 33,000 miles, 88 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 76,000 miles or more, 69 in every 100 did.

Under 33,0004,031 tests
88
33,000–45,0003,760 tests
86
45,000–58,000 Typical car3,910 tests
84
58,000–76,0004,084 tests
78
76,000 and over3,857 tests
69

Which fuel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol51,120 miles8181
Hybrid54,362 miles8787

Figures are in every 100 first tests. At the same mileage, hybrid passed more often (87 against 81 in every 100).

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 33,00045,000–58,00076,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)0.31.910.0
Tyre condition (front)1.51.92.8
Brake pads (rear)0.61.82.3
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)1.11.41.6
Windscreen wipers (front)1.51.21.4

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

49in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

22in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

At the same mileage, a hybrid 2014 Honda Jazz passed first time more often than a petrol one: 87 in every 100 against 81 in every 100. In 2025, 81.0% of 19,643 first MOTs on the 2014 Honda Jazz passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 86.7%. Among 3,730 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2014 Honda Jazz at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (19.8%), Tyre condition (front) (10.7%) and Brake pads (rear) (8.2%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front) (3.3% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.3% of those tests; 123 observed failures; about 4.2× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2014 Honda Jazz include Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front), Individual sidelight or tail light (front), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2014 Honda Jazz (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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