Porsche Boxster: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Porsche Boxster passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 7.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 32,366 individual Porsche Boxster tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 84.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 16 in every 100 Porsche Boxsters 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 Boxster tested had covered 64,686 miles and was built around 2007.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Porsche Boxster sits 7.5 points above the national average, ranked 1,288 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Boxster 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 Porsche Boxster: £1,900 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Porsche Boxster

1. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 2.9% of tests (5.67x the national rate for this defect)
2. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.6% of tests (2.47x the national rate for this defect)
3. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 2.5% of tests
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2% of tests
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.7% of tests
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.6% of tests
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.4% of tests
8. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 1.1% of tests
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.1% of tests
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1% of tests

From 32,366 DVSA-tracked Porsche Boxster tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.28% of these flagged Porsche Boxster defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Porsche Boxster

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 Porsche Boxster before it actually fails on it.

1. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 21.1% of tests (3.41x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
2. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 1.7% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 15.1% of tests (1.23x the national rate for this advisory)
4. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 1.3% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 16.5% of tests, also fails
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 14.4% of tests, also fails
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 8.8% of tests, also fails
8. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 5.4% of tests
9. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.5% of tests
10. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 2.1% of tests

From 32,366 DVSA-tracked Porsche Boxster tests, 2024.

Porsche Boxster pass rate by model year

From its 1997 to its 2020 model year, the Porsche Boxster's first-time pass rate has risen 16.9 points, from 79.2% to 96.1%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Porsche Boxster year:

• 1997 Porsche Boxster - 79.2% first-time pass, 385 tests
• 1998 Porsche Boxster - 73.2% first-time pass, 739 tests
• 1999 Porsche Boxster - 76.1% first-time pass, 1,037 tests
• 2000 Porsche Boxster - 77.8% first-time pass, 1,846 tests
• 2001 Porsche Boxster - 76.8% first-time pass, 2,060 tests
• 2002 Porsche Boxster - 77.4% first-time pass, 2,071 tests
• 2003 Porsche Boxster - 76.8% first-time pass, 2,378 tests
• 2004 Porsche Boxster - 78.3% first-time pass, 2,041 tests
• 2005 Porsche Boxster - 82.1% first-time pass, 3,226 tests
• 2006 Porsche Boxster - 83.5% first-time pass, 1,841 tests
• 2007 Porsche Boxster - 85.7% first-time pass, 1,589 tests
• 2008 Porsche Boxster - 87.4% first-time pass, 1,072 tests
• 2009 Porsche Boxster - 92.1% first-time pass, 826 tests
• 2010 Porsche Boxster - 90.6% first-time pass, 797 tests
• 2011 Porsche Boxster - 91.3% first-time pass, 755 tests
• 2012 Porsche Boxster - 91.5% first-time pass, 1,072 tests
• 2013 Porsche Boxster - 92.1% first-time pass, 1,279 tests
• 2014 Porsche Boxster - 93% first-time pass, 1,192 tests
• 2015 Porsche Boxster - 94.7% first-time pass, 1,073 tests
• 2016 Porsche Boxster - 93.8% first-time pass, 1,229 tests
• 2017 Porsche Boxster - 94.3% first-time pass, 991 tests
• 2018 Porsche Boxster - 94.6% first-time pass, 1,027 tests
• 2019 Porsche Boxster - 96.1% first-time pass, 889 tests
• 2020 Porsche Boxster - 96.1% first-time pass, 435 tests
• 2021 Porsche Boxster - 97.1% first-time pass, 274 tests

Other Porsche models

• Porsche 911 - 89%
• 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 V90 - 84.3%
• Citroen E-C4 Shine + - 84.3%
• Ford Transit 350 Leader Ecoblue - 84.3%
• BMW 220 - 84.2%
• Honda S2000 - 84.2%
• Maserati Ghibli - 84.2%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Which cars fail their MOT on the most dangerous defects?
• 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?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate