Used car guide

2012 Honda Insight: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2012 Honda Insights, from 1,215 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

1,215MOT tests in 2025
72%pass first time (all 2012 cars: 63%)
8,900typical miles a year
3.5×the usual rate for headlights

What stands out

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

  • Headlights3.5× usual
    Honda Insight
    16.3% All 2012 cars
    4.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 6.7%, 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

Coil springs: 4% here, against 9.6% of all 2012 cars. Suspension arm bushes and joints: 4.8% here, against 10.1% of all 2012 cars.

By area

The share of 2012 Honda Insight MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Lights and electrics
    29% of testsRough price £10–£80

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

  • Brakes
    29% 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.

  • Suspension
    29% 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
    28% 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.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    9% of testsRough price £15–£250

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

  • Oil and fluid leaks
    6% of testsRough price £80–£600

    At the viewing: Look under the engine and on the ground where the car is usually parked for fresh oil or fluid.

Looking at a Honda Insight?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20111,674Lights and electrics 36%
20102,729Suspension 36%
20092,052Lights and electrics 39%

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