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Mitsubishi Lancer

All generations and engines together · 3,271 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 81k

Reliability verdict

Not enough recent tests to rate this saloon or estate. Watch brakes and suspension. Not enough recent MOT data to call this one yet.

Typical mileage at age 7
81k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Oil burning from a sticking PCV valve (1.5 petrol)

Emerging

Owners of the naturally aspirated 1.5 petrol have reported heavy oil consumption, in one documented case around a pint every 45 motorway miles, with no visible leak and healthy compression. The usual cause traced by mechanics is a faulty positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) valve rather than worn rings or a head gasket. It tends to show up well into ownership, from around 80,000 miles, and the fix itself is cheap, but if it's ignored it can lead to sludge build-up and bigger bills later.

Reported from ~80k miles · sources: Honest John reader reports

Injector and turbo wear on the 2.0 DI-D diesel

EmergingDiesel only

The 2.0-litre DI-D diesel (mainly seen in the Sportback) has had reports of multiple fuel injectors failing together with turbocharger wear on higher-mileage cars, in one case at around 107,000 miles. This lines up with what tends to happen to common-rail diesels once injectors start to go out of tolerance and put extra strain on the turbo and EGR side. A full injector set plus a turbo is a four-figure repair, so it's worth budgeting for on any diesel much past 90-100k miles with patchy history.

Reported around 100k+ miles · repair likely four figures · sources: Honest John reader reports

CVT automatic gearbox shudder and premature wear

EmergingCVT automatics only

Cars fitted with the INVECS-III CVT (mainly the naturally aspirated automatics from the 2007-on generation) have a reputation among independent guides for belt/pulley wear, shuddering under load and, in the worst cases, full transmission failure. It's described as one of the bigger long-term gambles on this generation, with problems more often reported from around 60,000-100,000 miles onward. Replacement or reconditioning a CVT unit runs into four figures, well above a manual clutch job, and does not affect manual-gearbox Lancers.

Reported 60-100k+ miles · manuals unaffected · sources: Autodoc technical guide, independent reliability roundups

Evolution twin-clutch/SST gearbox and engine durability

EmergingEvolution models only

On the performance Evolution variants, owner and specialist communities have long flagged issues with the automated twin-clutch (TC-SST) transmission on Evo X, and with bottom-end durability ("crank walk") on the earlier turbocharged 4G63 engines under hard use or after tuning. These are low-volume, enthusiast-driven cars where history and evidence of gentle use matter far more than on a standard Lancer, and a pre-purchase inspection by an Evo specialist is standard advice rather than optional. Repairs on either front run well into four figures.

Mainly modified/high-mileage examples · sources: EvolutionM and UK Evo owner forum discussion, specialist buying guides

Electrical gremlins and interior trim faults

Disputed

Across independent year-by-year reliability roundups, electrical niggles (windows, central locking, dash warning lights) and cheap-feeling interior switchgear come up repeatedly for the Lancer, alongside Mitsubishi's below-average showing in owner satisfaction surveys. None of this is dramatic on its own and reviewers disagree on how much it should count against the car, but it's the kind of thing that chips away at resale value and generates a string of small annoying bills rather than one big failure.

Reported across most model years · sources: Auto Express review, independent reliability roundups

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Brake pipes underneathRuns high on this model Follow the metal brake lines with a torch where they run along the sills and over the rear axle. White crust or flaking metal means they are corroding, and the online MOT history usually shows the same advisory creeping up for years before the fail.Recorded on 32.8% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 6.2%
Underneath, with a torchRuns high on this model Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 23.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 4.3%
Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 10.0% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 3.5%
Steering playRuns high on this model With the engine running and the car parked, waggle the wheel lightly about the straight-ahead. The wheels should respond almost at once. A dead zone before anything happens means wear in the rack or the track rod ends.Recorded on 7.6% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 1.3%
ExhaustRuns high on this model Listen along the exhaust at cold idle for blowing or chuffing, and give the tailpipe a push to check nothing hangs loose. Small blows only get louder.Recorded on 7.2% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 2.2%
Bushes and ball joints Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 10.1% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 9.0%
Headlamp lensesRuns high on this model Check for condensation inside the headlamps and for cloudy or yellowed lenses. Both attract MOT trouble, and moisture inside a sealed LED unit generally means a whole new lamp.Recorded on 6.5% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 1.3%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 24.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 20.9%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 15.4% of tests at age 10-15 · class average 11.4%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Start the 1.5 petrol from cold and check the dipstick against the last service, then watch the exhaust on a hard pull. Low oil with no visible leak, or blue smoke under load, points to the PCV valve oil-burning issue.
On a diesel, ask for injector and turbo history and watch for hesitation, smoke or whistling under boost on the test drive. No paperwork past 90-100k miles plus rough running is a sign injectors or the turbo are on the way out.
If it's a CVT automatic, accelerate hard from a stop and listen for flare, shudder or a droning 'rubber band' feel. Any of these on a test drive suggests the CVT is already wearing and heading for an expensive rebuild.
On an Evolution, ask for a specialist pre-purchase inspection and full modification/tuning history before agreeing a price. No history or evidence of hard use/tuning raises the risk of gearbox or bottom-end problems that are costly to fix.
Cycle every window, the central locking and check the dash for warning lights with the engine running. Multiple small electrical faults now usually means more will follow, and they add up.
Read the full MOT history, not just the pass/fail line. The same advisory repeated year after year means an owner has been ignoring it rather than fixing it.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Mitsubishi LancerClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 3,060 tests in this band.

A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
36.6%class 7.4%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
32.8%class 6.2%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
20.3%class 11.4%
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
Fail
10.0%class 3.5%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Fail
7.6%class 1.3%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
7.5%class 2.7%
Exhaust system leaking or insecure
Advisory
7.2%class 2.2%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Fail
6.5%class 0.8%
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
Minor
6.5%class 1.3%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
6.3%class 1.4%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
28.0%class 23.4%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
15.4%class 11.4%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
10.9%class 9.7%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
9.7%class 7.3%
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
Minor
8.1%class 3.3%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
3.6%class 2.6%

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