Subaru Forester MOT Pass Rate
Overall pass rate across all manufacture years, based on 276,504 real MOT test results. Failure rate: 31.8%.
Data from official DVSA MOT testing records
Subaru Forester MOT Reliability Overview
The Subaru Forester is a very popular vehicle in the UK, with 276,504 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 26 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 68.2% and a failure rate of 31.8%, which is slightly above the UK average of approximately 37%.
Based on this data, the Subaru Forester earns a "Good" reliability rating. The average Subaru Forester presents for MOT with approximately 87,605 miles on the clock. Manufacture year matters: 2018 models achieve the highest pass rate at 89.7%, while 1997 models have the lowest at 52.5%. This 37.2 percentage point difference suggests notable variation in build quality or component durability across production years.
The most common MOT failure for the Subaru Forester is Suspension, affecting 35.2% of all tests. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. The second most common issue is Brakes at 22.8%. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment rounds out the top three at 16.4%. Together, these top 3 failure categories account for a significant portion of all MOT failures for this model.
Top failures across all manufacture years combined. Individual year pages may show different top failures.
What Fails Most
Best Year to Buy
All manufacture years perform similarly at ~88.3%.
Based on 2024 MOT test results only — the most recent data available. "Built" = year of manufacture. Cars need their first MOT at 3 years old, so the newest cars shown are from ~3 years ago.
Bar chart showing pass rate by manufacture year from 2003 to 2019
| Built | Pass Rate | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 88.3% | 666 | 🏆 Best |
| 2018 | 87.6% | 1,076 | ✅ Great |
| 2017 | 83.3% | 1,000 | 👍 Good |
| 2016 | 78.0% | 1,278 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2015 | 75.4% | 1,088 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2014 | 70.9% | 1,265 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2013 | 67.3% | 725 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2008 | 66.5% | 585 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2005 | 66.1% | 1,021 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2006 | 65.3% | 1,033 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2007 | 64.6% | 957 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2004 | 64.1% | 856 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2011 | 62.6% | 919 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2009 | 62.2% | 529 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2003 | 59.3% | 619 | ❌ Avoid |
Show all 16 years
| 2010 | 58.2% | 842 | ❌ Avoid |
📈 How Each Vintage Ages
Tracking how each manufacture year's MOT pass rate changes as the car ages. Showing 23 vintages — click year chips to highlight.
Multi-line chart showing how different Subaru Forester vintages degrade over time, from age 3 to 26 years.
Only vintages with 100+ tests in at least 3 different test years are shown. Fleet average is the UK-wide pass rate for all cars at each age.
📉 How Age Affects Reliability
MOT failure rate by vehicle age for the Subaru Forester. The dashed red line marks when the manufacturer warranty typically expires (3 years).
Line chart showing MOT failure rate by vehicle age from 3 to 20 years, with warranty expiry marked at 3 years.
💡 What does the warranty cliff mean?
The Subaru Forester sees a significant jump in MOT failures after the warranty period. Failure rate increases by 61% once warranty cover ends. Budget for increased maintenance costs from year 4 onwards. Peak failure occurs at age 15 (43.8% fail rate).
Note: pass rates may improve for very old vehicles due to survivorship bias — only well-maintained cars remain on the road.
* High Fail Rate badge indicates an MOT pass rate below 65% (failure rate above 35%).
What Fails on This Car?
Click a category to see specific failure items.
View as table
| Rank | Failure Category | Rate (%) | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 38.7% | 107,110 |
| 2 | Lamps, Reflectors And Electrical Equipment | 28.9% | 80,064 |
| 3 | Brakes | 25.7% | 71,067 |
| 4 | Tyres | 14.9% | 41,299 |
| 5 | Exhaust, Fuel And Emissions | 7.8% | 21,624 |
| 6 | Driver's View Of The Road | 6.7% | 18,436 |
| 7 | Body, Chassis, Structure | 4.0% | 10,982 |
| 8 | Noise, Emissions And Leaks | 3.5% | 9,610 |
| 9 | Visibility | 2.9% | 8,137 |
| 10 | Registration Plates And Vin | 1.6% | 4,377 |
| 11 | Steering | 1.4% | 3,870 |
| 12 | Non-component Advisories | 1.3% | 3,608 |
| 13 | Seat Belts And Supplementary Restraint Systems | 1.0% | 2,896 |
| 14 | Identification Of The Vehicle | 0.7% | 2,046 |
Failures per 10,000 Miles
avg. 87,605 miFor every 10,000 miles driven, this shows what percentage of MOT tests fail for each category. This accounts for how far cars are actually driven, not just raw pass/fail counts.
View as table
| Category | Rate / 10K mi | Raw % | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 4.42 | 38.7% | 107,110 |
| Lamps & Electrical | 3.30 | 28.9% | 80,064 |
| Brakes | 2.93 | 25.7% | 71,067 |
| Tyres | 1.70 | 14.9% | 41,299 |
| Visibility | 1.10 | 9.6% | 26,573 |
| Emissions & Exhaust | 0.89 | 7.8% | 21,624 |
| Body & Structure | 0.45 | 4.0% | 10,982 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.40 | 3.5% | 9,610 |
| Registration Plates and VIN | 0.18 | 1.6% | 4,377 |
| Steering | 0.16 | 1.4% | 3,870 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.15 | 1.3% | 3,608 |
| Seat Belts | 0.12 | 1.0% | 2,896 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 0.08 | 0.7% | 2,046 |
🚗 Similar Cars to Consider
Mileage at MOT
The average Subaru Forester has 87,605 miles when tested for MOT.
📊 Mileage-Adjusted Failure Rate
How often this car fails MOT relative to how much it's driven — a fairer comparison than raw pass rate.
The Subaru Forester has a mileage-adjusted failure rate of 3.63% per 10,000 miles driven. The average across all makes is 5.38%, so this model is better than average.
About Subaru Forester MOT Data
The Subaru Forester is a very popular vehicle in the UK, with 276,504 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 26 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 68.2% and a failure rate of 31.8%, which is slightly above the UK average of approximately 37%.
For Subaru Forester owners, these results suggest a reliable vehicle that generally passes its MOT without major issues. Focus your pre-MOT checks on suspension and brakes for the best chance of a first-time pass. Use our detailed year-by-year breakdown and failure analysis below to understand how your specific Forester is likely to perform.
Suspension — 35.2% of failures
Suspension issues account for 35.2% of MOT failures on the Subaru Forester. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. Typical repair costs: £200–500. Pre-MOT check: Look for uneven tyre wear, listen for clunking over bumps, and check if the car pulls to one side. A bouncy ride suggests worn shock absorbers. Visually inspect coil springs for cracks.
Brakes — 22.8% of failures
Brakes issues account for 22.8% of MOT failures on the Subaru Forester. Brake-related failures include worn brake pads, corroded brake discs, leaking brake lines, and faulty brake servos. These are safety-critical components — any brake deficiency will result in an MOT fail. Typical repair costs: £150–400. Pre-MOT check: Listen for squealing or grinding noises. Check brake pedal feel — if it feels spongy or goes to the floor, have the system inspected immediately. Look at brake pad thickness through the wheel spokes (minimum 3mm).
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 16.4% of failures
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment issues account for 16.4% of MOT failures on the Subaru Forester. Lighting failures cover all external lights: headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights, and reflectors. A single blown bulb will cause an MOT fail. This is one of the most preventable failure categories. Typical repair costs: £5–50. Pre-MOT check: Walk around the car and check every light — headlights (dipped and main beam), side lights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, hazard lights, reverse light, rear fog light, and number plate lights. Replace any blown bulbs before the test.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Subaru Forester?
Based on 276,504 MOT tests in our database, the Subaru Forester has an overall pass rate of 68.2% (31.8% fail rate).
What are the most common MOT failures on a Subaru Forester?
The top 3 reasons a Subaru Forester fails its MOT are: 1. Suspension (35.2%), 2. Brakes (22.8%), 3. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (16.4%). Check these areas before booking your MOT.
Is the Subaru Forester reliable?
With a 31.8% MOT failure rate, the Forester is more reliable than average compared to the UK average of ~40%.
What should I check before an MOT on my Subaru Forester?
Based on failure data, focus on: Suspension (35.2%); Brakes (22.8%); Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (16.4%). These are the areas most likely to cause a fail. Also check all lights, tyres (minimum 1.6mm tread), and windscreen condition — these are quick wins that apply to all cars.
Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.