Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 54,986 tests

Pass rate climbs 15.7 points across the cohorts — newer Shogun examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 48,280

Pass

73.8%

Fail

20.6%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

113,574 mi

2018–2020 cohort 4,219

Pass

89.0%

Fail

8.9%

PRS

1.7%

Avg mileage at test

46,821 mi

2021+ cohort 2,487

Pass

89.5%

Fail

7.9%

PRS

2.3%

Avg mileage at test

33,107 mi

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

Generations on file · 4

Mitsubishi Shogun · UK market

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

The picture

Mitsubishi Shogun: mixed MOT record across 34,360 tests

The Mitsubishi Shogun 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 34,360 tests puts this car on a 72.6% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 105,837 miles. The most common fail item is the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mountingis significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, followed by failed number plate light.

The stuff that the Shogun does well, it does as well as ever. It’s brilliant off-road and a fantastic towcar with a strong engine. Sadly, it's a let down in most other areas.

Buyers weighing up a used Shogun 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 28–38

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 →

28–38

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

2,010 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
02

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

1,753 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
03

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

1,730 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
04

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

1,163 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
05

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

1,152 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

1,121 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
07

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

1,014 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
08

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

945 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
09

Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

923 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
10

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

878 occurrences · 1.6% 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 3 failures

£98–£275

If every one of this Shogun'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 15.7-point gap between bands means the year you buy Mitsubishi Shogun has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

89.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 89.5% — a 15.7-point improvement. Tests in this band average 33,107 miles — roughly 80K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: less than 1.5 mm thick, 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

73.8%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 89.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 113,574 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (89.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.8% pass). That's a 15.7-point spread across 48,280 older tests and 2,487 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

Item 02 · Amazon UK

Headlight restoration kit

Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.

Search Amazon UK

Item 03 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Motor World

Motor World Mitsubishi Colt 2004- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab 88-2005- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

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Motor World Mitsubishi L200 4 Work Club Cab 2006- Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

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Motor World Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab 2006-2015 L/Rears Warrior Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

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.

What's good

The stuff that the Shogun does well, it does as well as ever. It’s brilliant off-road and a fantastic towcar with a strong engine. Sadly, it's a let down in most other areas.

Where it falls short

Land Rover Discovery runs rings around it on the road for refinement and handling. Back seats of seven-seat LWB models are cramped.

Recall history

13 UK recalls on record.

The Shogun has 13 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Shogun?

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 Shogun 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.