HONDA FES 125 A-C

125cc Petrol Class 1

#3666 of 5426 overall #661 of 921 HONDAs #108 of 734 commuter bikes

79.6%

first-time pass rate

11.9%

failed outright

17,833

median miles at test

1,764

MOT tests, 2005–2025

Pass rate over time

first-time pass rate by test year · 2015–2025

The FES 125 A-C's first-time pass rate has fallen 2.6 points since 2015, 80.4% to 77.8%.

Pass rate by mileage

how the FES 125 A-C's first-time pass rate falls with the odometer · class average 73.4%

A low-mileage FES 125 A-C passes first time 85.8% of the time; by 50k that's 71.7%.

First-time pass rate by odometer reading at test, 10,000-mile bands for this model. Mileage is the strongest reliability signal. See the full curve.

What fails on a FES 125 A-C

failure defects by component group · advisories excluded

Component group	Defects	% of defects	vs all bikes
brakes	179	36.5	1.6×
lamps and reflectors	123	25.1	2.6×
tyres	43	8.8	3.1×
lighting and signalling	37	7.6	0.4×
tyres and wheels	35	7.1	0.9×
steering	24	4.9	2.9×
suspension	21	4.3	1.2×
steering and suspension	16	3.3	0.3×
structure and attachments	9	1.8	0.6×
wheels	3	0.6	0.9×

Defects recorded against failed normal tests, 2005–2025, grouped by DVSA inspection section. One test can record multiple defects. "vs all bikes" is how often this model's tests record a defect in the group, as a multiple of the all-bike rate.

How rivals compare

same type, similar capacity, high test volume

On first-time pass rate the FES 125 A-C beats 4 of its 4 closest rivals (YAMAHA YBR 125, HONDA CG125, HONDA CBF125).

YAMAHA YBR 125 71.0% pass · 125k tests HONDA CG125 72.2% pass · 89.3k tests HONDA CBF125 73.3% pass · 84.4k tests GILERA RUNNER 70.8% pass · 69.9k tests

Rivals share this bike's type and sit within ±30% of its engine capacity, ≥ 5,000 tests. Card colour = better/worse first-time pass rate than the FES 125 A-C.

Pass rate by registration year

how each model-year cohort fares · registration year from first use date

Best year to buy used: 2012 (80.7% pass). Weakest: 2013 (79.0%).

First-time pass rate by the year each bike was first registered (cohorts with ≥ 50 tests). Older cohorts are survivors: the worst examples have already left the road, which tends to lift the earliest years.

HONDA FES 125 A-C FAQ

answers computed from the data above · terms in the glossary

Is the HONDA FES 125 A-C reliable?

The HONDA FES 125 A-C is more reliable than average for its class: 79.6% of its 1,764 MOT tests (2005–2025) passed first time, against a class average of 73.4%. That ranks it #3666 of 5426 models.

What does a FES 125 A-C fail its MOT on most?

brakes — 37% of all defects recorded against failed FES 125 A-C tests.

How many miles will a FES 125 A-C last?

The median FES 125 A-C shows 17,833 miles at test, and examples around 50k miles still pass 71.7% of the time — mileage alone rarely kills one.