Mitsubishi Carisma: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mitsubishi Carisma fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 18.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 754 individual Mitsubishi Carisma tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 58.1% first-time pass rate means roughly 42 in every 100 Mitsubishi Carismas presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Mitsubishi Carisma tested had covered 104,363 miles and was built around 2002.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Mitsubishi Carisma bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Mitsubishi Carisma rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Mitsubishi Carismas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Mitsubishi Carisma

1. Headlamp reflector or lens seriously defective or missing, 2.8% of tests (17.31x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.4% of tests (11.79x the national rate for this defect)
3. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 6.3% of tests (11.38x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 7.9% of tests (9.6x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 4.7% of tests (4.85x the national rate for this defect)
6. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.9% of tests (4.67x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 7.8% of tests (4.4x the national rate for this defect)
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 15.1% of tests (4.09x the national rate for this defect)
9. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.3% of tests (3.84x the national rate for this defect)
10. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.8% of tests (3.74x the national rate for this defect)

From 1,161 DVSA-tracked Mitsubishi Carisma tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.51% of these flagged Mitsubishi Carisma defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Mitsubishi Carisma by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Mitsubishi Carisma - 60.3% first-time pass, 496 tests
• Diesel Mitsubishi Carisma - 55.2% first-time pass, 252 tests

Other Mitsubishi models

• Mitsubishi L200 - 75.2%
• Mitsubishi Outlander - 80.3%
• Mitsubishi Asx - 78.7%
• Mitsubishi Shogun - 73.3%
• Mitsubishi Colt - 64.2%
• Mitsubishi Mirage - 85.7%
• Mitsubishi Lancer - 71.5%
• Mitsubishi Eclipse - 88.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Mazda Bongo - 58.1%
• Vauxhall Tigra - 58.1%
• Hyundai Coupe - 58.1%
• Citroen Xsara - 58%
• Suzuki Liana - 58%
• Renault G Scenic D-Que Tt Energy Dciss - 58%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate