Know Your MOT
23.6%fail rate

Suburu Impreza common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 72 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 23.6% of MOT tests recorded on the Suburu Impreza 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 64.7% of the Suburu Impreza's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, suspension, exhaust & emissions, tyres. 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 & electrical64.7% 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.

Suspension23.5% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

Exhaust & emissions23.5% 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.

Tyres23.5% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Brakes17.6% 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.

Visibility/wipers11.8% 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.

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: Suburu Impreza headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Suburu Impreza suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the exhaust & emissions failure: Suburu Impreza exhaustSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza exhaustaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza exhaust on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Suburu Impreza tyresSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza tyresaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Suburu Impreza brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Suburu Impreza wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Suburu Impreza wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Suburu Impreza wiper blades on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Suburu Legacy MOT failures27.3% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rateFord Focus MOT failures26.1% failure rateVauxhall Corsa MOT failures30.1% failure rate

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