Subaru XV MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Subaru XV took 6,115 MOT tests in Britain and passed 83% 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
- 6,115
- First-time pass rate
- 83%
- All cars
- 71%
What the XV fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics6.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension4.7% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes4.6% (all cars 6.8%)
- Tyres2.9% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility2.4% (all cars 4.8%)
- Body and structure1.0% (all cars 3.5%)
- Exhaust and emissions0.9% (all cars 3.1%)
- Seat belts and airbags0.3% (all cars 1.0%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick 2.8%
- Position lamp: not working 2.0%
- Stop lamp: not working 1.9%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.7%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 1.6%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 1.2%
- Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.2%
- Brake discs: significantly and obviously worn 0.8%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 12.5%
- Brake pads: wearing thin 10.3%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 10.1%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.0%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 6.8%
- Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 2.0%
- Brake discs: worn, but not excessively 1.6%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 1.3%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 553 | 67% |
| 2013 | 577 | 73% |
| 2014 | 630 | 75% |
| 2015 | 642 | 81% |
| 2016 | 730 | 85% |
| 2017 | 601 | 83% |
| 2018 | 1,085 | 88% |
| 2019 | 960 | 92% |
| 2020 | 329 | 94% |
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 | 19,751 miles |
| 4 years | 26,774 miles |
| 5 years | 34,273 miles |
| 6 years | 45,107 miles |
| 7 years | 52,086 miles |
| 8 years | 61,239 miles |
| 9 years | 72,145 miles |
| 10 years | 77,167 miles |
| 11 years | 85,918 miles |
Check a particular XV
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.