2018 Honda HR-V 1.6L Diesel · CP18 KFV

The 2018 Honda HR-V passed its most recent MOT examination on 1 September 2025 with a single advisory noting a light misting of oil from the nearside rear shock absorber. The broader history is broadly reassuring: clean passes in 2022, 2023 and 2024, but the record is marred by the August 2023 failure, where a nearside rear tyre was assessed as dangerous with tread below the 1.6mm legal minimum and the offside rear tyre was worn close to the limit and on its edge. This suggests a period of deferred maintenance on consumables, likely driven by uneven wear or a tracking or suspension issue, though the following year's clean pass indicates the situation was rectified. Overall the maintenance trend can be described as stable with a modest caveat: the car has gone back to clean results, but the shock absorber advisory carried forward from 2025 deserves monitoring rather than dismissal. The recorded mileage of 78,562 miles over roughly eight years equates to around 9,820 miles annually, which is comfortably within the norm for a vehicle of this age and class. There are no apparent gaps or implausible jumps in the record, so the usage profile suggests regular, moderate use rather than long periods standing or heavy motorway accumulation. This is mechanically favourable: regular use helps keep the 12V battery charged, prevents brake discs from corroding and calipers from binding through disuse, and allows consumables such as tyres and brakes to wear predictably. At this mileage, however, items such as suspension bushes, coil springs, wheel bearings and the clutch (if manually equipped) are entering the phase where wear begins to manifest, so a buyer should not assume the car is beyond routine outlay. The recurring rear tyre wear pattern in 2023, described as worn on the edge, warrants specific investigation. Edge wear on one side typically points to incorrect wheel alignment, worn track rod ends, or degraded rear suspension bushes, and on an HR-V the rear torsion beam bushes and dampers are the usual suspects. Inspect all four tyres for even wear across the tread, check the sidewalls for cracking or perishing given the car's age, and confirm tread depths are comfortably above the legal minimum on every tyre, not merely the ones tested. Regarding the advisory on the nearside rear damper, a lightly misting shock absorber will progressively lose damping performance; on a test drive, listen for knocking or clunking from the rear over broken surfaces and note any wallowy, unsettled behaviour over undulations or rebound oscillation after depressions and bumps. Persistent oil misting that develops into wet staining means the damper is approaching replacement, and a pair of rear dampers is usually replaced together. Practically, verify the service history against the recorded mileage, looking for stamped intervals of roughly 10,000 miles or annually, and confirm that time-based items have not been neglected merely because the mileage is unremarkable: brake fluid is hygroscopic and should be renewed every two years, coolant per the manufacturer schedule, and engine oil and filter at least annually regardless of distance. Check the condition of the rear brake discs and pads for corrosion scoring, test the handbrake hold on a gradient, and confirm the air conditioning operates correctly. Finally, run a HPI check to confirm the mileage record is consistent, examine the underbody and sills for corrosion appropriate to age rather than neglect, and if the rear dampers are still misting at inspection, use this as a negotiating point or request they be renewed before purchase, as it is a modest cost that preserves ride quality and tyre wear.