Used Mitsubishi Asx buying guide

In 2025, Mitsubishi Asx cars passed 74.5% of 28,733 initial MOT tests, 2.2 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.

Looking at a specific Asx? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Mitsubishi Asx MOT record in brief

Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.

74.5%

Mitsubishi Asx pass rate

72.3%

UK average, all cars

+2.2

percentage points above average

Ranked on pass rate the Asx sits 273rd of 575 models in the data. Mitsubishi as a brand averaged 71.3%, so this model runs 3.3 points ahead of its own brand. Mitsubishi Asx cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.6%.

A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Mitsubishi Asx MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Asx compares with similar cars.

Asx fuel types

Diesel made up 50.5% of Mitsubishi Asx MOT tests in 2025, against 39.3% across all models in this data. The rest ran on other fuels, so tested examples were a genuine mix.

Where the Asx fails its MOT

Where Mitsubishi Asx cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.

  • Brakes29.7%
  • Suspension20.7%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment13.5%
  • Tyres9.9%
  • Visibility7.7%
  • Steering7.1%

The specific items testers recorded most often were rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (6.9%), brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (6.2%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.1%). See every common Asx MOT failure.

These are DVSA failure records across every Mitsubishi Asx that failed, not a claim that every Asx has these problems.

What should you check when buying a used Asx?

The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.

1

Brakes

Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 29.7% of Asx failure items.

2

Suspension

Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 20.7% of Asx failure items.

3

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 13.5% of Asx failure items.

4

Tyres

Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 9.9% of Asx failure items.

5

Visibility

Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 7.7% of Asx failure items.

None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.

What the MOT record doesn't tell you

Knowing Mitsubishi Asx failures cluster around brakes and suspension tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.

Check the exact Asx you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Mitsubishi history check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

Used Mitsubishi Asx FAQs

Is the Mitsubishi Asx reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 74.5% first-time pass rate for the Mitsubishi Asx across 28,733 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Do older Mitsubishi Asx cars fail their MOT more often?

Mitsubishi Asx cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 90.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.6%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.

What should I check before buying a used Mitsubishi Asx?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: brakes, suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.

How do I check a Mitsubishi Asx's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.