Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 84,304 tests

Pass rate climbs 3.1 points across the cohorts — newer Macan examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 46,253

Pass

91.9%

Fail

6.1%

PRS

1.6%

Avg mileage at test

60,980 mi

2018–2020 cohort 28,920

Pass

94.8%

Fail

3.5%

PRS

1.3%

Avg mileage at test

34,921 mi

2021+ cohort 9,131

Pass

95.0%

Fail

3.4%

PRS

1.1%

Avg mileage at test

24,254 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Porsche Macan · UK market

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

The picture

Porsche Macan: solid MOT record across 28,509 tests

The Porsche Macan is a compact luxury crossover SUV (D-segment) produced by German manufacturer Porsche since 2014. It is the smaller SUV from Porsche below the Cayenne.

MOT data from 28,509 tests puts this car on an 91.7% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 43,206 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by damaged tyre sidewall or structure.

The Porsche Macan is a car that can drop your kids at school and your labrador to the dog-sitter’s, and then thrills your socks off on the way to work.

For used buyers, the Macan's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 34–46

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. 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 →

34–46

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

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

978 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
02

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

814 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
03

A tyre seriously damaged

771 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
04

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

563 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
05

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

348 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
06

A tyre cords visible or damaged

339 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
07

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

288 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
08

Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements

222 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
09

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

195 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
10

Wiper blade defective

190 occurrences · 0.2% 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.

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 3.1-point gap between bands means the year you buy Porsche Macan has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

95.0%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 95.0% — a 3.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 24,254 miles — roughly 37K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — 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

91.9%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 91.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.0% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no…, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 60,980 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (95.0% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (91.9% pass). That's a 3.1-point spread across 46,253 older tests and 9,131 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

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

View at My Motor World →

My Motor World

Porsche Birthday Greetings Card (Personalised)

£4.28

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Porsche Cayenne 2003-2012 Car Floor Mat Set

£32.99

View at My Motor World →

Motor World

Motor World Porsche 911 Coupe 2004-, Cabriolet 2005- & Targe 2006- 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

Rivals are considerably more practical not to mention considerably cheaper, some key equipment is optional including automatic emergency braking.

Recent owner-reported faults

14 Dec 2019
Report of occasiona strong vibration through the brake pedal, steeting wheel and driver's seat when braking to a
17 Dec 2018
Report of total electrical failure in February 2018 Porsche Mascan on 10-11-2018 at 4,000 miles. " After a short distance whilst on a busy high street the car experienced a complete electrical failure. The engine and all the electrics cut out, and I was left to coast to the side of the road without any indicators or brake lights to warn the cars behind me."
19 Mar 2018
Report of "grabbing" of front wheels of 2014 Porsche Macan S diesel over ruts at 32,658 miles. Identified by JCT600 mechanic during service as a DL581 transmission fault Could fix for £2,500. 3 year warranty expired in 2017.
28 Feb 2018
Report of independent dealer purchased Porsche Macan suffering soggy footwells due to malfunction of A pillar drains from its panoramic sunroof. Referred to Porsche dealer who, after one failed attempt to fix, then quoted £3,222 to strip out interior of car and fix the problem, minus a £500 contribution from Porsche.
7 Sep 2016
Problems reported with Park Assist and Cruise Control of Macan taken delivery of in January 2016. Dealer has had it for 9 weeks trying to fix it. Owner wants a replacement car.
7 Feb 2016
Complaint of 'flat spot' when setting off from rest in 15,000 mile 2015 Porsche Macan S. Owner has "lost confidence in it going into, for instance, roundabouts since I am never sure if, when I press the accelerator, it will respond immediately or hit that dreaded flat spot and almost stall." This is typical VAG and dates back to some trouble they had with runaway automatics in Audi 100s in the USA. They fit a detent device that prevents the lever being moved from N to D unless the brake pedal is pressed. Unfortunately the brake pedal switch also has the effect of delaying fuel delivery to the engine so you can't always come off the brakes and power away. A Macan is basically an Audi Q5 and as such shares the Q5's massive longitudinal S tronic direct shift transmission with its benefits and its faults.
2 Apr 2015
Complaint of cracked leather on side bolster of Porsche Macan driver's seat. Car purchased as an ex-demo on 14-9-2014 with 6,500 miles, mileage now 9,700. Dealer tried to fix by inserting extra padding to the bolster, but it has since deteriorated and the dealer refuses to rectify further under warranty. Reader did not give his height and weight.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 7 reports indexed

Recall history

8 UK recalls on record.

The Macan has 8 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Macan?

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 Macan 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.