carpeep

Mitsubishi Colt, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

16,388 Mitsubishi Colts are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 54.1% of initial MOT tests, 18.2 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Mitsubishi Colt at the MOT

54.1% of 19,641 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Colt 547th of 575 models.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mitsubishi Colt54.1%
  • All Mitsubishi modelsThe Colt is 17.2 pts behind71.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Where Colts fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Mitsubishi Colt tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment32.5%
  • Suspension19.5%
  • Body, chassis, structure9.4%
  • Brakes9.2%
  • Visibility8.1%

The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6.8%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (6%) and wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.3%).

The MOT page lists every common Colt MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Mitsubishi Colt MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Colt's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. 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.32.5% of Colt failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.19.5% of Colt failure items

  3. Body, chassis, structure

    Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels.9.4% of Colt failure items

Mitsubishi Colts in the UK

16,388 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 67% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−67%from 50,032 licensed
Typical year of first use
2008half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2008 or earlier
Declared off the road
4,14620% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mitsubishi Colts since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201450,032
End of 201547,469
End of 201645,215
End of 201742,289
End of 201839,350
End of 201936,024
End of 202032,786
End of 202129,426
End of 202226,711
End of 202323,862
End of 202420,732
End of 202517,762
End of June 202616,388

How old they are

Licensed Mitsubishi Colts by year of first use.

A further 165 were first used before 2001.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
2013463
20121,339
20111,477
20102,167
20093,110
20083,012
20072,474
20061,844
20051,276
2004259
200322
200250
200121

Colt engines and fuel

1.3 litre engines made up 47% of Mitsubishi Colt MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.1 litre at 34%. Petrol accounts for 94% of licensed Colts and diesel for 6.1%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 19,629 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.3 litre47.1%
  • 1.1 litre33.8%
  • 1.5 litre18.1%

Fuel type, licensed Colts

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol15,38294%
Diesel1,0026%
Gas4<0.1%

Mitsubishi Colt recalls

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mitsubishi Colt. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Colt is affected.

  1. Jul 2021 R/2021/240

    The air bag inflator might have a different air bag deployment performance than designed providing less protection

    Colts built Jan 1996 to Dec 2000 · 19,699 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The airbag inflator might have a different airbag deployment performance than designed providing less protection.
    Remedy
    The driver side frontal airbag will be replaced with an alternate inflator.

  2. Sep 2015 R/2015/158

    EPS system may malfunction

    Colts built Nov 2011 to Oct 2012 · 2,790 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    A connector pin for the electronic power steering may not be to specification. This will lead to increased resistance in the circuit causing the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) to stop working. The steering will still function in manual mode requiring increased input from the driver. The EPS warning lamp may illuminate temporarily.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the EPS Gear and Link assembly.

  3. Jan 2012 R/2012/016

    Fuel may leak

    64 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that air has been trapped within the fuel pump mounting cap mouldings which could lead to the cap cracking and fuel vapour and/or fuel might leak from the tank.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the fuel pump mounting cap.

  4. Mar 2002 R/2001/168

    Engine crankshaft pulley concern

    Colts built Jan 1999 to Dec 2000 · 1,687 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The crankshaft pulley may become loose causing a rattling noise from the engine battery warning light to come on and a high steering effort will be noticed.
    Remedy
    All recalled vehicles will have the crankshaft pulley bolt tightened to the correct specified torque.

  5. Nov 2000 R/2000/083

    Potential detachment of crankshaft pulley

    Colts built Jan 1996 to Dec 1999 · 4,246 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The Crankshaft Pulley securing bolt may not have been correctly torqued. The bolt may loosen or break and in the worst case result in detachment of the pulley.
    Remedy
    All engines up to engine number YD2145 - remove pulley securing bolt increase the depth of the thread in the Crankshaft by 5 mm. Check bolt for damage and renew if necessary. Lubricate threads refit and tighten to specified torque. Engines numbered from YD2146 onwards - remove pulley securing bolt examine for damage and renew if necessary lubricate threads refit and tighten to specified torque.

  6. Nov 1997 R/1997/074

    Loss of braking system vacuum assistance

    Colts built Jun 1997 to Aug 1997 · 218 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The brake booster vacuum hose check valve may stick and cause a loss of vacuum to the brake booster. This will result in greatly increased brake pedal effort and increased stopping distances.
    Remedy
    The affected vehicles are being recalled to have the brake booster vacuum hose replaced with a quality assured unit.

  7. Nov 1994 R/1994/073

    Front brake hoses may have been incorrectly installed during assembly

    Colts built Jan 1992 to Dec 1994 · 169 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that installation of the front brake hoses has not been correctly carried out during initial assembly.
    Remedy
    Recall the affected vehicles for the fitment of replacement brake hoses.
How to check a specific Colt for recalls

Other Mitsubishi models

The most-tested Mitsubishi models in 2025, against the Colt's 54.1% MOT pass rate.

All 9 Mitsubishi models

Mitsubishi Colt FAQs

How many Mitsubishi Colts are there in the UK?

16,388 Mitsubishi Colts were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,146 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Mitsubishi Colt 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 54.1% first-time pass rate for the Mitsubishi Colt across 19,641 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Mitsubishi Colt had any recalls?

7 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mitsubishi Colt. The most recent was published in July 2021. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Mitsubishi Colt?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and body, chassis, structure. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Mitsubishi Colt'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.

Already found a Colt?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Mitsubishi history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Mitsubishi VIN check.

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

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.