Honda XLR: MOT pass rate by registration year

Which XLR years pass first time, and which fall short of the model's 78.6% average, from 570 DVSA tests.

1993

highest-passing year · 80.0%

1998

lowest-passing year · 70.5%

9.5pp

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: 1993 (80.0% of 75 tests). Lowest: 1998 (70.5% of 78). Years more than two points below the model average: 1992, 1998.

Registered	Tests	First-time pass	vs model (78.6%)
1991	79	78.5%	-0.1 pp
1992	57	75.4%	-3.2 pp
1993	75	80.0%	+1.4 pp
1998	78	70.5%	-8.1 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 · 2006–2023

Questions

Which XLR years have the lowest MOT pass rate?: 1992, 1998 registered examples pass first time less often than the Honda XLR overall (78.6%); the 1998 cohort is lowest at 70.5% from 78 tests.
Which XLR year has the highest MOT pass rate?: 1993, at 80.0% of 75 first tests (2005–2025).
How much does the XLR pass rate vary by year?: 9.5 percentage points between the highest (1993, 80.0%) and lowest (1998, 70.5%) 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 XLR reliability, failures and mileage · ranked #3832 of 5428 models· other Honda models: CBR600F, CBR900RR, CBR1100XX, CB500, C90, VFR800 Fi