Honda NC29: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which NC29 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 78.1% average, from 521 DVSA tests.

1997

highest-passing year · 90.2%

1990

lowest-passing year · 70.0%

20.2pp

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: 1997 (90.2% of 51 tests). Lowest: 1990 (70.0% of 100). Years more than two points below the model average: 1990, 1991, 1992.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (78.1%)
1990	100	70.0%	-8.1 pp
1991	94	75.5%	-2.6 pp
1992	102	70.6%	-7.5 pp
1997	51	90.2%	+12.1 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 · 2006–2016

Questions

Which NC29 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1990, 1991, 1992 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda NC29 overall (78.1%); the 1990 cohort is lowest at 70.0% from 100 tests.
Which NC29 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1997, at 90.2% of 51 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the NC29 pass rate vary by year?: 20.2 percentage points between the highest (1997, 90.2%) and lowest (1990, 70.0%) 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 NC29 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3895 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi