Subaru Forester MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Subaru Forester took 16,641 MOT tests in Britain and passed 70% of them first time, close to 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
- 16,641
- First-time pass rate
- 70%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Forester fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Suspension13.2% (all cars 9.0%)
- Lights and electrics13.1% (all cars 11.3%)
- Brakes6.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions5.5% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility4.5% (all cars 4.8%)
- Body and structure4.3% (all cars 3.5%)
- Tyres3.7% (all cars 6.4%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.2% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 4.1%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 3.0%
- Stop lamp: not working 3.0%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 2.6%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 2.2%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.1%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.0%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases 1.9%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 13.9%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 11.8%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 8.7%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.0%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 7.3%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 5.2%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 4.4%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 4.0%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 336 | 59% |
| 2003 | 739 | 60% |
| 2004 | 903 | 60% |
| 2005 | 1,141 | 62% |
| 2006 | 1,013 | 58% |
| 2007 | 917 | 62% |
| 2008 | 623 | 59% |
| 2009 | 513 | 58% |
| 2010 | 878 | 60% |
| 2011 | 923 | 65% |
| 2012 | 445 | 66% |
| 2013 | 861 | 71% |
| 2014 | 1,165 | 74% |
| 2015 | 1,013 | 75% |
| 2016 | 1,208 | 79% |
| 2017 | 923 | 85% |
| 2018 | 944 | 87% |
| 2019 | 1,121 | 91% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 3 years | 31,520 miles |
| 4 years | 30,067 miles |
| 5 years | 39,943 miles |
| 6 years | 50,714 miles |
| 7 years | 59,779 miles |
| 8 years | 67,447 miles |
| 9 years | 77,271 miles |
| 10 years | 87,363 miles |
| 11 years | 94,227 miles |
| 12 years | 104,384 miles |
| 13 years | 106,848 miles |
| 14 years | 106,481 miles |
| 15 years | 106,742 miles |
| 16 years | 107,846 miles |
| 17 years | 115,651 miles |
| 18 years | 120,844 miles |
| 19 years | 125,018 miles |
| 20 years | 130,510 miles |
Check a particular Forester
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Subaru models
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.