Honda Jazz review - Reliability and Safety

The Honda Jazz has been a consistent performer in the Auto Express Driver Power survey for over a decade. However, being almost eight years old, the previous generation car dropped to 112th out of 200 cars in the overall round-up for 2016.

That’s a tough fall from grace, after finishing 11th, 12th and 29th in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. It is quite normal for older cars to slip down the tables, though, and in the 2017 survey, this Mk3 car was back inside the Top 50.

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An ageing product line-up hasn’t helped Honda as a brand, either. However, although the manufacturer fell to 20th in the 2016 survey, it started to climb back up the rankings in 2017.  

In terms of safety, the Jazz aced the Euro NCAP crash tests, coming home with a full five-star rating in 2015, and impressive section scores of 93 per cent safety for adult occupants, 85 per cent for child occupants, 73 per cent for pedestrians and 71 per cent for safety assist systems. On this last score, that’s because all but the basic S models get Honda’s Driver Assistance Safety Pack, which includes lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and forward collision warning. Every model also comes with the City-Brake Active system that can help to avoid low-speed accidents. 

Warranty

All Hondas come with a three-year, 90,000-mile warranty as standard, which is certainly generous compared to rivals in terms of the mileage.

At the time of expiration, a Honda Extended Guarantee can be purchased, which includes UK and European breakdown cover, protection against mechanical and electrical faults and a maintained ongoing service history.

For another 12 months alone (for year four), it costs around £460; for an extra 24 months (years four and five), the price is around £850.

Servicing

Pre-paid service plans are available for cars less than eight months old and with less than 8,000 miles on the clock – this is a one-off payment of about £700, which covers five years’ worth (or 62,500 miles) of labour, parts and VAT maintenance costs. Honda says this can save owners around £500 over the course of the plan.