Honda NC35: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which NC35 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 80.4% average, from 576 DVSA tests.

1999

highest-passing year · 91.3%

1994

lowest-passing year · 73.6%

17.7pp

spread across 6 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: 1999 (91.3% of 69 tests). Lowest: 1994 (73.6% of 159). Years more than two points below the model average: 1994, 1995.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (80.4%)
1994	159	73.6%	-6.8 pp
1995	76	77.6%	-2.8 pp
1996	65	83.1%	+2.7 pp
1997	74	79.7%	-0.7 pp
1998	66	81.8%	+1.4 pp
1999	69	91.3%	+10.9 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 · 2006–2015

Questions

Which NC35 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1994, 1995 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda NC35 overall (80.4%); the 1994 cohort is lowest at 73.6% from 159 tests.
Which NC35 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1999, at 91.3% of 69 first tests (2005–2025). Years more than two points above the model average: 1996, 1999.
How much does the NC35 pass rate vary by year?: 17.7 percentage points between the highest (1999, 91.3%) and lowest (1994, 73.6%) 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 NC35 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3493 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi