Honda CX500EC: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which CX500EC years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 78.7% average, from 1,604 DVSA tests.

1984

highest-passing year · 85.8%

1981

lowest-passing year · 75.4%

10.4pp

spread across 4 years

Pass rate by registration year

first-time pass rate · cohorts with 50 or more tests · registration year from first use date

Highest pass rate: 1984 (85.8% of 162 tests). Lowest: 1981 (75.4% of 61). Years more than two points below the model average: 1981, 1983.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (78.7%)
1981	61	75.4%	-3.3 pp
1982	555	79.6%	+0.9 pp
1983	736	76.4%	-2.3 pp
1984	162	85.8%	+7.1 pp

Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years. A first-time MOT pass is a roadworthiness check, not a full mechanical inspection.

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2005–2020

Questions

Which CX500EC years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1981, 1983 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda CX500EC overall (78.7%); the 1981 cohort is lowest at 75.4% from 61 tests.
Which CX500EC year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1984, at 85.8% of 162 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the CX500EC pass rate vary by year?: 10.4 percentage points between the highest (1984, 85.8%) and lowest (1981, 75.4%) cohorts with at least 50 tests. Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.

Full report: Honda CX500EC reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3818 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi