Used car guide

2012 Honda FIT: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2012 Honda FITs, from 1,265 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

1,265MOT tests in 2025
80%pass first time (all 2012 cars: 63%)
4,300typical miles a year
8.5×the usual rate for rear fog light

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2012 Honda FITs than on all cars registered in 2012.

  • Rear fog light8.5× usual
    Honda FIT
    6.8% All 2012 cars
    0.8%

    Failed outright at MOT: 6.5%, against 0.7% of all 2012 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
    9.5% All 2012 cars
    4.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 1.7%, against 2.9% of all 2012 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: 1.7% here, against 10.1% of all 2012 cars. Brake pads: 3.7% here, against 9.6% of all 2012 cars.

By area

The share of 2012 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
    22% of testsRough price £10–£80

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

  • Tyres
    20% 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.

  • Suspension
    18% 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.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    7% of testsRough price £15–£250

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

  • Brakes
    7% 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.

  • 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?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, mileage and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2014929Lights and electrics 9%
2013962Tyres 14%
2011964Lights and electrics 27%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2012 Honda FITs registered in 2012. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score