67.4%
Mitsubishi Lancer pass rate
Used Mitsubishi Lancer buying guide
In 2025, Mitsubishi Lancer cars passed 67.4% of 8,751 initial MOT tests, 4.9 points below the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Lancer? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mitsubishi Lancer MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
−4.9
percentage points below average
Ranked on pass rate the Lancer sits 397th of 575 models in the data. Mitsubishi as a brand averaged 71.3%, so this model runs 3.9 points behind its own brand. Mitsubishi Lancer cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 90.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 66.7%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Mitsubishi Lancer MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Lancer compares with similar cars.
Lancer fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Mitsubishi Lancer cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 19.2% of tests.
Where the Lancer fails its MOT
Where Mitsubishi Lancer cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (6.9%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (5.3%) and ball joint excessively worn (3.9%). See every common Lancer MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Mitsubishi Lancer that failed, not a claim that every Lancer has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Lancer?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at 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. 26.1% of Lancer failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 23.3% of Lancer failure items.
3
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. 15.1% of Lancer failure items.
4
Noise, emissions and leaks
Listen for a blowing exhaust, watch for smoke on start-up and look under the car for oil or fluid leaks. 7.9% of Lancer failure items.
5
Steering
Feel for play, knocking or stiffness in the steering, and check there is no steering warning light. 7.2% of Lancer 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 Lancer failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Lancer 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
Other used Mitsubishi models
The most-tested Mitsubishi models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Lancer.
- Used Mitsubishi L200 68.7% MOT pass rate
- Used Mitsubishi Outlander 76.3% MOT pass rate
- Used Mitsubishi Asx 74.5% MOT pass rate
- Used Mitsubishi Shogun 67.6% MOT pass rate
- Used Mitsubishi Colt 54.1% MOT pass rate
- Used Mitsubishi Eclipse 86.2% MOT pass rate
See all 9 Mitsubishi models ranked by MOT pass rate.
Used Mitsubishi Lancer FAQs
Is the Mitsubishi Lancer 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 67.4% first-time pass rate for the Mitsubishi Lancer across 8,751 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Mitsubishi Lancer cars fail their MOT more often?
Mitsubishi Lancer cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 90.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 66.7%. 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 Lancer?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. 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 Lancer'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.