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All models / All cars / Family & large SUVs / Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Outlander

All generations and engines together · 72,629 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 77k

Reliability verdict
CBy age
CBy miles

Graded against its peers

Middling among SUVs, by age and by mileage. Watch brakes and suspension. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating brakes advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
17.3%
Across 9,126 tests. The average for SUVs is 16.4%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
16.6%
Across 7,430 tests. The average for SUVs is 15.1%.
Rank in its class
27 of 38
1 = lowest failure rate among the 38 SUVs we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
77k 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.

Parking brake corrodes and seizes or fails to hold

Partly in the MOT data

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.

Recall R/2018/180 · sources: DVSA recall record (via motcost.co.uk), gov.uk vehicle recall checker

12V auxiliary battery drains flat overnight (PHEV)

Emerging

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.

Reported at any age, worse in cold weather · sources: MyOutlanderPHEV forum, Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV UK Facebook group

Hybrid system fault can strand the car with no drive

Confirmed pattern

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.

Recall R/2017/183, 2013-2015 PHEV · sources: DVSA recall record (via motcost.co.uk)

2.2 DI-D diesel: timing chain rattle and DPF clogging on short trips

EmergingDiesel only

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.

Reported on higher-mileage diesels · sources: owner forum reports, general diesel-Outlander discussion threads

Cracked infotainment screen, expensive to replace

Disputed

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.

One well-documented case at a 2014 model · sources: Honest John reader reports

Clutch and gearbox claims more frequent than the class average

Emerging

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.

Average claim cost around £680 · sources: MotorEasy/Honest John claims data, Honest John reader reports

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 5.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.9%
Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 4.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model 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 4.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.2%
Coil springsRuns high on this model Look through the wheel spokes at the bottom coil of each spring; when springs snap it is usually there, and the break is visible. Step back and check the car sits level too. A dropped corner is often a broken spring.Recorded on 3.0% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.3%
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 1.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%
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 1.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.4%
Lights and horn walkround 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 1.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.2%

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 24.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%
Pads and discsRuns high on this model 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 14.4% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.2% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%

Because of what owners report

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

Pull the handbrake on and off a few times, and check it holds the car on a slope. Stiff, slow, or weak operation points at the corroded parking brake caliper shaft, the subject of the 2018 recall.
Ask for the service history and check the recall work was actually carried out, not just posted out. No record of the parking brake recall or, on early PHEVs, the traction battery charging recall means unresolved safety work outstanding.
On a PHEV, leave the car unplugged and unused overnight if you can, then check it starts cleanly the next day. A flat 12V battery or a slow crank after sitting points at the known drain issue.
On a diesel, listen for a ticking or rattling noise from the front of the engine at idle. Timing chain wear, worse on higher-mileage cars, gets more expensive the longer it is ignored.
Check the DPF warning light and ask how the car has mostly been driven. A diesel used for short trips is more likely to have a partially blocked filter, even if no light is showing today.
Turn the infotainment screen on and check for cracks, dead pixels, or unresponsive areas. Screen replacement is eye-wateringly expensive on this model if it is bundled with sat-nav and climate control.
On a manual, work through every gear at low and higher revs and feel for clutch slip or a notchy change. Gearbox and clutch related claims run above average for this model, so early wear is not just bad luck.

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 OutlanderClass 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. 40,530 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
6.8%class 6.8%
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
Advisory
5.9%class 1.9%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
Minor
4.7%class 0.7%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Advisory
3.0%class 1.3%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
2.4%class 0.8%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
2.2%class 0.6%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
1.8%class 0.6%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Advisory
1.3%class 0.4%
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
Fail
1.3%class 0.4%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
1.2%class 0.8%

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
27.4%class 22.9%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
14.4%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
11.2%class 10.1%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
10.4%class 12.7%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
3.3%class 2.2%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
3.2%class 1.6%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
3.1%class 3.4%
Nail in tyre
Advisory
2.5%class 1.6%

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