2002 Honda S2000 MOT pass rate: 82.5% (1,819 tests)

2002-registered Honda S2000s passed 82.5% of 1,819 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 16.7 points better than all UK cars registered in 2002 (65.8%).
82.5%Pass rate, 2002 cars
116.7Age-adjusted index (100 = average)
1,819Tests analysed
88,980 miMedian mileage at test

Is the 2002 S2000 getting worse?

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

Test yearPass rate
202382.5%
+17.3 vs same-age
202482.8%
+17.4 vs same-age
202582.1%
+15.3 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 S2000

#SystemDefects recordedShare
1Brakes20524.2%
2Suspension14517.1%
3Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12614.9%
4Noise, emissions and leaks11313.3%
5Visibility637.4%
6Body, chassis, structure566.6%

All S2000 years compared

Registration yearTestsPass rateVs same-ageMedian mileage
2002 (this page) 1,819 82.5% +16.7 pts 88,980
2003 1,840 81.0% +15.9 pts 83,333
2004 2,031 85.2% +20.8 pts 77,165
2005 2,079 85.6% +21.1 pts 73,825
2006 1,607 85.6% +21.1 pts 68,928
Buying a 2002 S2000? Two checks first

FAQs

Is a 2002 Honda S2000 reliable?

2002-registered examples passed 82.5% of their MOT tests (1,819 tests, 2023–2025), +16.7 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 24 years old with a median 88,980 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2002 S2000?

The median tested example shows 88,980 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.