Honda XL 650 V-5: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL 650 V-5 years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 86.3% average, from 1,151 DVSA tests.

2007

highest-passing year · 91.0%

2005

lowest-passing year · 85.9%

5.1pp

spread across 3 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: 2007 (91.0% of 67 tests). Lowest: 2005 (85.9% of 907).

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (86.3%)
2005	907	85.9%	-0.4 pp
2006	172	87.8%	+1.5 pp
2007	67	91.0%	+4.7 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 · 2008–2025

Questions

Which XL 650 V-5 years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: none: no registration year of the Honda XL 650 V-5 falls more than two points under the model's 86.3% overall pass rate.
Which XL 650 V-5 year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2007, at 91.0% of 67 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the XL 650 V-5 pass rate vary by year?: 5.1 percentage points between the highest (2007, 91.0%) and lowest (2005, 85.9%) 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 XL 650 V-5 reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #2120 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi