All generations and engines together · 11,135 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 37k
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
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.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 4,888 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
A rattle from the front of the 1.0/1.2 petrol engine for a second or two on cold start-up, most often reported on earlier cars. It comes from the timing chain tensioner taking a moment to build oil pressure and tension the chain, and Mitsubishi has told owners asking about it that it is normal. Owners who've lived with it for years mostly report no follow-on damage, but a rattle that lasts more than a couple of seconds or gets worse over time is worth a garage check.
Cars with the Jatco-based CVT can lurch or clunk when coming to a stop, and shudder once when pulling away, especially if you feed in throttle quickly. Long-running owner threads treat mild versions of this as a characteristic of the gearbox rather than a fault, but a shudder that happens every time or a whine that grows with speed points to CVT wear and is an expensive box to replace out of warranty. Doesn't apply to manual cars.
Some 1.0/1.2 petrol cars develop a lumpy idle with noticeable vibration at a standstill, plus a flat spot pulling away from junctions or roundabouts. Owners and independent write-ups point to worn spark plugs, a dirty throttle body or idle control valve rather than anything structural, so it's usually a cheap fix once diagnosed, but repeated advisories for it suggest a car that hasn't been serviced properly.
Reviewers and owners both flag the Mirage/Space Star's soft, wallowy ride and body roll, and forum threads on the suspension describe clunks and knocks developing from worn anti-roll bar links and bushes as the car ages. This lines up with the measured MOT data, where suspension is the standout failure category for this car versus its class; the folklore (soft, creaky suspension) and the hard data (suspension is the weak point) point the same way here, which isn't always the case.
Mitsubishi issued two UK recalls on early Mirage/Space Star cars over braking performance, one in April 2013 for a sensor replacement and one in December 2013 to replace the hydraulic ABS unit and bleed the brakes. A further recall in January 2019 covered an ECU fault that misjudged battery deterioration. All three are free dealer fixes; check the car's recall status against its VIN, since not every affected car got the work done.
The manual gearbox uses a cable clutch that owners can adjust themselves, and forum advice is that a slipping or high biting-point clutch is often just in need of adjustment rather than a full replacement. Where it does need replacing, owners generally see this land somewhere around 60-80k miles depending on how the car's been driven, at a modest cost for a small car. Doesn't apply to CVT automatics.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (City cars), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.