Subaru Outback MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Subaru Outback took 7,450 MOT tests in Britain and passed 75% of them first time, above 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
- 7,450
- First-time pass rate
- 75%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Outback fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics11.8% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension8.5% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes6.3% (all cars 6.8%)
- Tyres4.2% (all cars 6.4%)
- Body and structure3.9% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions3.7% (all cars 3.1%)
- Visibility3.4% (all cars 4.8%)
- Steering0.5% (all cars 1.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 4.0%
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.4%
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 2.2%
- Stop lamp: not working 2.1%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.7%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.6%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.5%
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps 1.5%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.4%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 11.7%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 10.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 7.6%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 6.8%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 4.6%
- Anti-roll bars, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 4.2%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened 3.7%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 313 | 53% |
| 2006 | 471 | 57% |
| 2007 | 425 | 60% |
| 2009 | 353 | 61% |
| 2010 | 495 | 64% |
| 2011 | 548 | 65% |
| 2012 | 306 | 71% |
| 2015 | 794 | 83% |
| 2016 | 759 | 86% |
| 2017 | 465 | 86% |
| 2018 | 656 | 90% |
| 2019 | 597 | 90% |
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 | 24,973 miles |
| 4 years | 31,845 miles |
| 5 years | 43,183 miles |
| 6 years | 53,457 miles |
| 7 years | 66,566 miles |
| 8 years | 78,349 miles |
| 9 years | 94,760 miles |
| 10 years | 94,902 miles |
| 11 years | 103,585 miles |
| 12 years | 111,508 miles |
| 13 years | 119,191 miles |
| 14 years | 109,843 miles |
| 15 years | 120,081 miles |
| 16 years | 123,709 miles |
| 17 years | 124,936 miles |
| 18 years | 131,586 miles |
| 19 years | 130,215 miles |
Check a particular Outback
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.