Subaru Legacy MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Subaru Legacy took 6,005 MOT tests in Britain and passed 63% 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
- 6,005
- First-time pass rate
- 63%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Legacy fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics18.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension13.4% (all cars 9.0%)
- Exhaust and emissions9.4% (all cars 3.1%)
- Brakes9.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure7.5% (all cars 3.5%)
- Tyres6.2% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility5.7% (all cars 4.8%)
- Seat belts and airbags1.3% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 5.8%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 4.3%
- Stop lamp: not working 4.3%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases 3.0%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 2.9%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.8%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.5%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 2.2%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.8%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 16.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 9.9%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 9.5%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 8.3%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 7.7%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 7.0%
- Linkage ball joints: ball joint has slight play 6.8%
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 | 512 | 59% |
| 2005 | 632 | 62% |
| 2006 | 722 | 60% |
| 2007 | 514 | 61% |
| 2008 | 411 | 62% |
| 2009 | 445 | 66% |
| 2010 | 496 | 63% |
| 2011 | 478 | 68% |
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 |
|---|---|
| 10 years | 86,988 miles |
| 11 years | 91,937 miles |
| 12 years | 100,273 miles |
| 13 years | 108,331 miles |
| 14 years | 102,595 miles |
| 15 years | 114,205 miles |
| 16 years | 113,729 miles |
| 17 years | 116,891 miles |
| 18 years | 121,574 miles |
| 19 years | 123,244 miles |
| 20 years | 115,688 miles |
Check a particular Legacy
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.