2002 Honda Accord MOT pass rate: 60.5% (1,710 tests)

2002-registered Honda Accords passed 60.5% of 1,710 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 5.1 points worse than same-age cars (65.7%). This is one of the lower-scoring Accord years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

60.5%Pass rate, 2002 cars

94.9Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

1,710Tests analysed

97,187 miMedian mileage at test

Is the 2002 Accord getting worse?

Pass rate of 2002-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	57.7% -7.5 vs same-age
2024	61.7% -3.7 vs same-age
2025	63.5% -3.3 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2002 Accord

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	613	21.0%
2	Suspension	568	19.5%
3	Noise, emissions and leaks	389	13.3%
4	Brakes	377	12.9%
5	Body, chassis, structure	339	11.6%
6	Steering	229	7.9%

All Accord years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2001	1,651	61.3%	-5.3 pts	99,276
2002 (this page)	1,710	60.5%	-5.1 pts	97,187
2003	4,703	63.9%	-1.1 pts	125,262
2004	7,374	65.0%	+0.7 pts	129,532
2005	8,632	66.0%	+1.5 pts	128,916
2006	8,375	66.7%	+2.3 pts	133,005
2007	9,276	67.0%	+1.9 pts	130,562
2008	8,498	70.2%	+5.1 pts	127,469
2009	8,999	72.5%	+6.1 pts	126,306
2010	3,728	75.7%	+8.4 pts	121,371
2011	3,733	76.6%	+7.4 pts	113,737
2012	3,449	77.6%	+6.4 pts	104,124

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Honda Accord years to avoid.

Buying a 2002 Accord? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2002 Honda Accord reliable?

2002-registered examples passed 60.5% of their MOT tests (1,710 tests, 2023–2025), -5.1 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 24 years old with a median 97,187 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2002 Accord?

The median tested example shows 97,187 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.