What are the most common problems with a 2012 Honda FIT hybrid?

The biggest MOT weak spot is rear fog light: flagged on 5.7% of tests, 8.1× the rate for all 2012 cars.

What should I ask the seller before buying a used 2012 Honda FIT hybrid?

Any recent work on the rear fog light? (Flagged at MOT 8.1× as often on the 2012 Honda FIT hybrid as on other cars the same age.) Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Used car guide

2012 Honda FIT hybrid: common problems and MOT failures

What MOT testers find on the hybrid Honda FIT first registered in 2012 (hybrid cars only): we looked at the 2,498 MOTs these cars had during 2023–2025. Plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

2,498MOTs of 2012 hybrid cars, done in 2023–2025

84%pass first time (all 2012 cars: 64%)

4,400typical miles a year

8.1×the usual rate for rear fog light

What goes wrong more than usual on a 2012 Honda FIT hybrid?

Parts flagged at MOT more often on the 2012 Honda FIT hybrid than on all cars registered in 2012.

Rear fog light8.1× usual

Honda FIT
5.7% All 2012 cars
0.7%

Failed outright at MOT: 5.5%, against 0.6% of all 2012 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

Better than most

Tread depth: 8.8% here, against 22.3% of all 2012 cars. Brake discs: 0.9% here, against 13.9% of all 2012 cars.

Common 2012 Honda FIT hybrid MOT failures and advisories

The share of 2012 Honda FIT hybrid MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

Lights and electrics

17% of testsRough price £10–£80

At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.
Tyres

16% of testsRough price £70–£150

At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.
Suspension

14% of testsRough price £120–£400

At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.
Wipers, windscreen and mirrors

5% of testsRough price £15–£250

At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.
Brakes

4% of testsRough price £150–£350

At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.
Seats and seatbelts

1% of testsRough price £80–£250

At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Questions to ask the seller before buying a 2012 Honda FIT hybrid

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

Any recent work on the rear fog light? (Flagged at MOT 8.1× as often on the 2012 Honda FIT hybrid as on other cars the same age.)
Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Honda FIT?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, mileage and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Other years

Every year of the Honda FIT compared

Year	MOT tests	Most flagged
2026	–	Too new for MOT data
2017	143	Lights and electrics 10%
2016	307	Tyres 16%
2015	442	Tyres 11%
2014	1,463	Tyres 9%
2013	1,879	Tyres 12%
2011	2,485	Lights and electrics 22%
2010	780	Lights and electrics 29%
2009	188	Lights and electrics 39%
2008	151	Lights and electrics 36%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, counting the MOTs of Honda FIT cars first registered in 2012. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score