Mitsubishi Lancer: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Mitsubishi Lancer fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 5.2 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 10,017 individual Mitsubishi Lancer tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 29 in every 100 Mitsubishi Lancers 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 Lancer tested had covered 91,932 miles and was built around 2008.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Mitsubishi Lancer sits 5.2 points below the national average, ranked 1,722 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Lancer 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Mitsubishi Lancer: £225 at UK salvage auction, from 4 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Mitsubishi Lancer

1. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 6% of tests (4.62x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.9% of tests (3.6x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.3% of tests (2.22x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 2% of tests (2.16x the national rate for this defect)
5. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 4.6% of tests (2.05x the national rate for this defect)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2% of tests (1.98x the national rate for this defect)
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 9.8% of tests (1.96x the national rate for this defect)
8. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.4% of tests (1.78x the national rate for this defect)
9. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4% of tests (1.72x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.6% of tests (1.44x the national rate for this defect)

From 10,000 DVSA-tracked Mitsubishi Lancer tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.02% of these flagged Mitsubishi Lancer defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Mitsubishi Lancer

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Mitsubishi Lancer before it actually fails on it.

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 22.6% of tests (4.38x the national rate for this advisory)
2. 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, 5.9% of tests (3.91x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, 5.2% of tests (3.91x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 22.1% of tests (3.57x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 4.3% of tests (3.48x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 3.8% of tests (3.42x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 7.1% of tests (2.48x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 26.1% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.3% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
10. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 6.9% of tests (1.46x the national rate for this advisory)

From 10,000 DVSA-tracked Mitsubishi Lancer tests, 2024.

Mitsubishi Lancer pass rate by model year

From its 2004 to its 2011 model year, the Mitsubishi Lancer's first-time pass rate has fallen 24.6 points, from 89.5% to 64.9%, an unusual pattern where even its newest years fail more than its oldest. First-time pass rate for each Mitsubishi Lancer year:

• 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer - 90.4% first-time pass, 250 tests
• 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer - 89.5% first-time pass, 382 tests
• 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer - 72.8% first-time pass, 1,038 tests
• 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer - 71.1% first-time pass, 971 tests
• 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer - 71.6% first-time pass, 857 tests
• 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer - 69.6% first-time pass, 1,415 tests
• 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer - 68.3% first-time pass, 1,131 tests
• 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer - 64.7% first-time pass, 1,638 tests
• 2011 Mitsubishi Lancer - 64.9% first-time pass, 1,201 tests

Mitsubishi Lancer by fuel type

The Mitsubishi Lancer's two most-tested fuel types split by 15 points: petrol passes first time 75.2% of the time (7,880 tests) against 60.2% for diesel (2,043 tests).

• Petrol Mitsubishi Lancer - 75.2% first-time pass, 7,880 tests
• Diesel Mitsubishi Lancer - 60.2% first-time pass, 2,043 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 Eclipse - 88.7%
• Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab - 62.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Toyota Starlet - 71.6%
• Nissan Nv400 - 71.6%
• Peugeot Partner - 71.5%
• Smart (Mcc) Cabriolet - 71.5%
• Volkswagen Polo - 71.4%
• Toyota Rav-4 - 71.4%

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
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate