All generations and engines together · 72,629 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 77k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
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. 40,530 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.
Water can get past the parking brake caliper shaft boots and rust the shaft inside, which either seizes the handbrake on or lets it lose its holding force. Mitsubishi recalled around 51,000 UK cars for this in August 2018, covering cars built across 2012-2016. The measured MOT data backs this up directly: brakes are the standout fault for this model, and this recall is the closest thing to a paper trail for why. Ask whether the recall work was done, it does not always show up as a simple pass on the MOT.
On the plug-in hybrid, the small 12V battery that wakes the rest of the car up can drain itself dead overnight even when the main traction battery is fully charged, leaving the car unable to start or unlock. It is a long-running complaint on owner forums and the PHEV Facebook group; Mitsubishi has pushed software updates aimed at parasitic drain but owners report it can come back after a battery replacement. A new 12V battery runs roughly £100-150 fitted, but if it keeps recurring the fix is more about tracking down what is drawing current than just swapping the battery.
A fault in the petrol engine's charging function can stop it topping up the traction battery, and once that battery is empty the car loses all ability to move under its own power. Mitsubishi recalled roughly 14,000 UK PHEVs built 2013-2015 over this and it needed a dealer repair, not just a software patch. Worth confirming on an early PHEV that this recall was actually carried out, since a car that has had the fix should have a service record showing it.
Owners of the 2.2-litre diesel report a ticking or rattling noise from the timing chain area that tends to show up on higher-mileage cars, alongside DPF warning lights on cars used mostly for short journeys that never get the filter hot enough to regenerate. A forced regen or a DPF clean can sort it if caught early; a badly clogged filter can mean four figures for a replacement. Only relevant if you are looking at a diesel, the petrol and PHEV versions do not have this filter.
A number of owners report the centre touchscreen cracking or the display failing without any obvious impact damage, and because it is bundled with the sat-nav and climate controls on some trims, one owner was quoted as much as £7,800 by a dealer for a full replacement unit. It is not clear from the reports whether this is a genuine build fault or accident damage being misremembered, hence the disputed tag, but the repair cost if it does happen is real enough to budget for.
Insurance-style claims data shows gearbox faults account for a real slice of Outlander claims, and at least one early clutch failure has been reported at under 5,000 miles on a nearly-new car, well outside what you would expect from driver wear. It is not a single well-defined fault, more a pattern of gearbox and clutch related claims sitting above where you would want them for a car this age. Get a manual driven up through all the gears on a level test route and feel for slip or notchiness.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.