Used car guide

2011 Honda FIT: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2011 Honda FITs, from 964 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

964MOT tests in 2025
77%pass first time (all 2011 cars: 61%)
4,400typical miles a year
10×the usual rate for rear fog light

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2011 Honda FITs than on all cars registered in 2011.

  • Rear fog light10× usual
    Honda FIT
    9% All 2011 cars
    0.9%

    Failed outright at MOT: 8.8%, against 0.8% of all 2011 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Headlights2× usual
    Honda FIT
    11.4% All 2011 cars
    5.8%

    Failed outright at MOT: 2%, against 3.2% of all 2011 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £40–£400 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check both headlights on dipped and full beam, and look for cloudy or cracked lenses.

Better than most

Suspension arm bushes and joints: 2.1% here, against 10.8% of all 2011 cars. Shock absorbers: 2.8% here, against 7.6% of all 2011 cars.

By area

The share of 2011 Honda FIT MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Lights and electrics
    27% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Suspension
    22% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Tyres
    21% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    8% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    8% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Looking at a Honda FIT?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2014929Lights and electrics 9%
2013962Tyres 14%
20121,265Lights and electrics 22%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2011 Honda FITs registered in 2011. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score