Mitsubishi Lancer MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Mitsubishi Lancer took 11,087 MOT tests in Britain and passed 66% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 11,087
- First-time pass rate
- 66%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Lancer fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics15.6% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension13.1% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes9.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Steering6.8% (all cars 1.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions5.7% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility5.3% (all cars 4.8%)
- Tyres4.9% (all cars 6.4%)
- Body and structure4.1% (all cars 3.5%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 6.0%
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 5.7%
- Stop lamp: not working 3.3%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.6%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.5%
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded 2.3%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.2%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases 2.1%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 15.7%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 13.6%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.9%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 7.2%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.2%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 6.9%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 5.4%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 5.0%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 383 | 84% |
| 2005 | 1,138 | 68% |
| 2006 | 1,122 | 63% |
| 2007 | 975 | 64% |
| 2008 | 1,609 | 64% |
| 2009 | 1,292 | 61% |
| 2010 | 1,887 | 57% |
| 2011 | 1,364 | 60% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 12 years | 95,448 miles |
| 13 years | 98,276 miles |
| 14 years | 100,075 miles |
| 15 years | 93,054 miles |
| 16 years | 85,446 miles |
| 17 years | 87,122 miles |
| 18 years | 86,691 miles |
| 19 years | 78,884 miles |
| 20 years | 80,275 miles |
Check a particular Lancer
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Mitsubishi models
- Mitsubishi L200
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Mitsubishi Shogun
- Mitsubishi ASX
- Mitsubishi Colt
- Mitsubishi Eclipse
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Mitsubishi Pajero
- Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed CVT
- Mitsubishi Space Star
- Mitsubishi Shogun Pinin
- Mitsubishi Grandis
- Mitsubishi Delica
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.