Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 58,119 tests

Pass rate climbs 7.7 points across the cohorts — newer D Max examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 39,762

Pass

75.2%

Fail

19.7%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

89,276 mi

2018–2020 cohort 17,755

Pass

80.8%

Fail

14.8%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

61,032 mi

2021+ cohort 602

Pass

82.9%

Fail

12.1%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

41,783 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

Generations on file · 3

Isuzu D Max · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Isuzu D Max: mixed MOT record across 37,528 tests

The Isuzu D Max is a diesel-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 37,528 tests puts this car on a 77.2% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 71,638 miles. The most common fail item is worn shock absorber bushes, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

"Does my car have a timing chain or a cambelt?" It is the £3000 question every car owner eventually asks. Whether you are driving a high-mileage diesel or a modern downsized hybrid, knowing what's fitted to your engine is the difference between a routine service and a catastrophi.

Buyers weighing up a used D Max should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 28–36

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

28–36

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A shock absorber bush excessively worn

2,417 occurrences · 4.2% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

1,692 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
03

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,565 occurrences · 2.7% of tests
04

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

1,408 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
05

An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

1,269 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

1,143 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
07

Exhaust system leaking or insecure

1,071 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
08

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,029 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
09

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

1,000 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
10

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

959 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures

£48–£125

If every one of this D Max's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 7.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Isuzu D Max has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

82.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 82.9% — a 7.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 41,783 miles — roughly 47K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has an excessively worn bush, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

75.2%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 75.2% pass rate against a fleet average of 82.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has an excessively worn bush, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and excessively corroded. Average mileage on test for this band is 89,276 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (82.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (75.2% pass). That's a 7.7-point spread across 39,762 older tests and 602 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Denso

Denso W14E Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16EX-U Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W16FSR Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Denso

Denso W9LM-US Spark Plug (Single)

£1.09

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.

Where it falls short

Recall history

4 UK recalls on record.

The D Max has 4 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a D Max?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a D Max and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.