Honda XL 700 Va-B: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XL 700 Va-B years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 88.8% average, from 1,283 DVSA tests.

2012

highest-passing year · 89.7%

2013

lowest-passing year · 87.6%

2.1pp

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: 2012 (89.7% of 643 tests). Lowest: 2013 (87.6% of 202).

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (88.8%)
2011	437	87.9%	-0.9 pp
2012	643	89.7%	+0.9 pp
2013	202	87.6%	-1.2 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 · 2014–2025

Questions

Which XL 700 Va-B years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: none: no registration year of the Honda XL 700 Va-B falls more than two points under the model's 88.8% overall pass rate.
Which XL 700 Va-B year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 2012, at 89.7% of 643 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the XL 700 Va-B pass rate vary by year?: 2.1 percentage points between the highest (2012, 89.7%) and lowest (2013, 87.6%) 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 XL 700 Va-B reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #1332 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi