Know Your MOT
26.4%fail rate

Subaru Impretsa common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Subaru Impretsa fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 148 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 26.4% of MOT tests recorded on the Subaru Impretsa in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 59.0% of the Subaru Impretsa's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, exhaust & emissions, other, visibility/wipers. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical59.0% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Exhaust & emissions38.5% of failures

Exhaust failures cover leaks, insecure mountings and emissions over the limit. A blowing exhaust, a failed lambda reading or a diesel that smokes beyond the limit will fail.

Other20.5% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Visibility/wipers15.4% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Steering12.8% of failures

Steering faults are typically worn track-rod ends or ball joints, play in the rack, or a split gaiter letting grease out and dirt in. Excessive free play at the wheel fails.

Brakes10.3% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Subaru Impretsa headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Subaru Impretsa headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Subaru Impretsa headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Subaru Impretsa exhaustSearch Amazon for Subaru Impretsa exhaustaffiliate searchFind Subaru Impretsa exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Subaru Impretsa wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Subaru Impretsa wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Subaru Impretsa wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Subaru Impretsa steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Subaru Impretsa steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Subaru Impretsa steering track rod ends on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Subaru Impretsa brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Subaru Impretsa brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Subaru Impretsa brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Subaru Impreza MOT failures24.4% failure rateSubaru Forester MOT failures23.6% failure rateSubaru Legacy MOT failures27.5% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data ยท DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain