Porsche 911: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Porsche 911 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 12.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 46,890 individual Porsche 911 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 89% first-time pass rate means roughly 11 in every 100 Porsche 911s presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Porsche 911 tested had covered 60,658 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Porsche 911 bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Porsche 911 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 Porsche 911s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Porsche 911

1. Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements, 0.3% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this defect)
2. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 0.7% of tests (1.75x the national rate for this defect)
3. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.2% of tests
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 0.7% of tests
5. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 0.6% of tests
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 0.6% of tests
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.6% of tests
8. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 0.5% of tests
9. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 0.5% of tests
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.5% of tests

From 115,426 DVSA-tracked Porsche 911 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.12% of these flagged Porsche 911 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Porsche 911 pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Porsche 911 year:

• 1990 Porsche 911 - 90.6% first-time pass, 661 tests
• 1991 Porsche 911 - 91% first-time pass, 299 tests
• 1992 Porsche 911 - 94.2% first-time pass, 206 tests
• 1993 Porsche 911 - 90.9% first-time pass, 242 tests
• 1994 Porsche 911 - 89.2% first-time pass, 508 tests
• 1995 Porsche 911 - 88% first-time pass, 632 tests
• 1996 Porsche 911 - 90.3% first-time pass, 904 tests
• 1997 Porsche 911 - 89.5% first-time pass, 695 tests
• 1998 Porsche 911 - 84.5% first-time pass, 1,005 tests
• 1999 Porsche 911 - 83.9% first-time pass, 1,164 tests
• 2000 Porsche 911 - 83.6% first-time pass, 906 tests
• 2001 Porsche 911 - 85% first-time pass, 1,428 tests
• 2002 Porsche 911 - 83% first-time pass, 2,303 tests
• 2003 Porsche 911 - 83.5% first-time pass, 2,540 tests
• 2004 Porsche 911 - 85.6% first-time pass, 2,342 tests
• 2005 Porsche 911 - 86.8% first-time pass, 2,763 tests
• 2006 Porsche 911 - 87% first-time pass, 2,740 tests
• 2007 Porsche 911 - 88.1% first-time pass, 2,403 tests
• 2008 Porsche 911 - 90.1% first-time pass, 1,777 tests
• 2009 Porsche 911 - 90.6% first-time pass, 1,340 tests
• 2010 Porsche 911 - 91.6% first-time pass, 1,559 tests
• 2011 Porsche 911 - 92.8% first-time pass, 1,128 tests
• 2012 Porsche 911 - 92.1% first-time pass, 1,439 tests
• 2013 Porsche 911 - 93.9% first-time pass, 1,252 tests
• 2014 Porsche 911 - 94.4% first-time pass, 1,568 tests
• 2015 Porsche 911 - 95.3% first-time pass, 1,721 tests
• 2016 Porsche 911 - 96% first-time pass, 1,709 tests
• 2017 Porsche 911 - 94.9% first-time pass, 1,870 tests
• 2018 Porsche 911 - 95.1% first-time pass, 2,150 tests
• 2019 Porsche 911 - 95.6% first-time pass, 2,021 tests
• 2020 Porsche 911 - 96.5% first-time pass, 695 tests

Other Porsche models

• Porsche Boxster - 84.2%
• Porsche Macan - 92.1%
• Porsche Cayenne - 86.4%
• Porsche Cayman - 89.9%
• Porsche Panamera - 87.8%
• Porsche Taycan 4s 93kwh - 90.8%
• Porsche 944 - 77.4%
• Porsche Taycan Turbo - 89.8%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Volvo Xc60 Inscrpt Pro B5 Mhev Awd A - 89.1%
• Audi Q7 Sln Blk Ed 45tdi Mhev Qto A - 89.1%
• Renault Zoe I Play Ze 50 - 89.1%
• Jaguar E-Pace - 89%
• Hyundai Kona Premium Gdi Hev S-A - 89%
• Mercedes-Benz A 250 Amg Line E Auto - 89%

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