Mitsubishi
122,996 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Outlanders pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 3.0 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
80.5%
Pass-after-fix
3.7%
Fail
15.3%
Avg miles
84,617
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 122,946 tests
Pass rate climbs 10.0 points across the cohorts — newer Outlander examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
78.5%
Fail
17.0%
PRS
4.0%
Avg mileage at test
91,894 mi
Pass
88.5%
Fail
8.5%
PRS
2.6%
Avg mileage at test
55,416 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 4
Mitsubishi Outlander · UK market
2001–2006
2006–2012
2012–2021
2021–now
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
80.06% first-time pass from 82,159 tests is a solid result for a seven-seat SUV averaging 78,165 miles at test. Suspension joint dust cover deterioration leads the failure list — a wear item accelerated by the raised ride height and off-road-capable suspension geometry — followed by brake pad wear below 1.5mm and windscreen damage. The windscreen chip pattern has owner backing: one 2013 Outlander was reported as particularly vulnerable to stone damage, suggesting the screen angle and road height combine against it. More serious is the 2014 2.3 diesel timing chain failure at 45,000 miles: the knock developed a week before the warranty expired, but the owner couldn't book it in before the deadline, leaving them outside cover. On a diesel Outlander at this mileage, timing chain condition and brake pad thickness are the two checks that matter most before signing.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
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A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
3,066 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
2,912 occurrences · 2.4% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
2,428 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
2,394 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
2,257 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
1,792 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
1,772 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
1,584 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
1,447 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
1,261 occurrences · 1.0% 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 4 failures
£248–£675
If every one of this Outlander'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 →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 10.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mitsubishi Outlander has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
88.5%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 88.5% — a 10.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 55,416 miles — roughly 36K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, 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. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
78.5%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 78.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt, and inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…. Average mileage on test for this band is 91,894 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of clutch failure on 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander after 6 months and 5,000 miles."
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (88.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (78.5% pass). That's a 10.1-point spread across 98,513 older tests and 24,433 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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
Brake pad measurement gauge
Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · 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
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Motor World Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab 88-2005- Car Floor Mat Set
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Motor World Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab 2006-2015 L/Rears Warrior Car Floor Mat Set
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
Easy to drive. Most variants have seven seats. Economical diesel engines. Large and practical boot. Decent safety kit.
Report of clutch failure on 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander after 6 months and 5,000 miles.
Report of multiple chipping to windscreen of 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander, the screen of which seems to be especially vulnerable.
Timing chain failure reported on 2014 Outlander 2.3 diesel at 45,000 miles: Developed a knocking sound from the engine a week before the warranty ran out at its MoT. Could not book it in to the Mitsubishi dealer until 2 weeks later so out of warranty. Told they would strip the engine as they suspected it was the crankshaft or timing chain. They then submitted their report to Mitsubishi to check if the warranty would cover it. They said this would depend on the services and if these had been kept up to date. The car had 3 services (one a year) but because it had done 45000 miles it should have had 5 (one per 9000 miles). Apparently this is a known fault on high mileage police traffic patrol cars. But because of the missed service Mitsubishi refused to contribute to the £3,000 cost of repairing the engine.
Reader quoted £7,800 by Mitsubishi dealer to replace the satnav in a 2014 Outlander after a passenger accidentally cracked the screen.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 4 reports indexed
Recall history
The Outlander has 27 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
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 an Outlander 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.
