2004 Subaru Impreza: MOT pass rate and reliability
79.6% of 2004 Subaru Imprezas pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,748 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 105,101 miles.
How the 2004 compares
- Against all Subaru Imprezas (79.1%, 17,713 tests): +0.5 points
- Against all 2004 cars (64%): +15.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every Subaru Impreza model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2004 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Subaru Impreza:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 79.8% | 247 | 110,987 |
| 1998 | 82.4% | 421 | 104,534 |
| 1999 | 82.5% | 758 | 109,421 |
| 2000 | 81% | 898 | 108,031 |
| 2001 | 77.2% | 904 | 114,383 |
| 2002 | 78.9% | 1,053 | 108,290 |
| 2003 | 77.1% | 1,682 | 108,784 |
| 2004 | 79.6% | 1,748 | 105,101 |
| 2005 | 78.3% | 2,175 | 105,004 |
| 2006 | 77.5% | 1,684 | 99,509 |
| 2007 | 75.5% | 1,789 | 94,064 |
| 2008 | 76.1% | 1,023 | 96,507 |
| 2009 | 78.5% | 767 | 88,704 |
| 2010 | 79.8% | 788 | 88,995 |
| 2015 | 84.2% | 215 | 62,865 |
| 2018 | 90.1% | 202 | 43,782 |
What this means if you are buying a 2004 Impreza
The 2004 sits close to the Subaru Impreza average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 22-year-old car fails on
A 2004 car is 22 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is above average and into the range where cambelts and water pumps are due if they have not already been done, so ask for the service history rather than take the mileage on trust. On a 2004 Subaru Impreza the average at test was 105,101 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2018 at 90.1%, and the weakest in our data is 2007 at 75.5%. That 14.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2004 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2001 Subaru Impreza - 77.2%
- 2002 Subaru Impreza - 78.9%
- 2003 Subaru Impreza - 77.1%
- 2005 Subaru Impreza - 78.3%
- 2006 Subaru Impreza - 77.5%
- 2007 Subaru Impreza - 75.5%