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

6,140 Mitsubishi Lancers are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 67.4% of initial MOT tests, 4.9 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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Mitsubishi Lancer at the MOT

67.4% of 8,751 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Lancer 397th of 575 models. Mitsubishi Lancers 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%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Mitsubishi Lancer67.4%
  • All Mitsubishi modelsThe Lancer is 3.9 pts behind71.3%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Mitsubishi Lancer tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years202 tests90.6%
  • 11 years and over8,492 tests66.7%

Where Lancers fail

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

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.1%
  • Suspension23.3%
  • Brakes15.1%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks7.9%
  • Steering7.2%

The 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%).

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

Full Mitsubishi Lancer MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Lancer'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.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

Mitsubishi Lancers in the UK

6,140 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 67% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−67%from 18,693 licensed
Typical year of first use
2009half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2009 or earlier
Declared off the road
4,23241% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Mitsubishi Lancers since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201418,693
End of 201517,964
End of 201616,971
End of 201715,780
End of 201814,534
End of 201913,229
End of 202011,950
End of 202110,780
End of 20229,722
End of 20238,597
End of 20247,427
End of 20256,335
End of June 20266,140

How old they are

Licensed Mitsubishi Lancers by year of first use.

A further 37 were first used before 2003.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
201410
20131
201220
2011899
20101,204
2009803
2008973
2007550
2006574
2005556
2004152
200326

Lancer engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 57% of Mitsubishi Lancer MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.6 litre at 24%. Petrol accounts for 78% of licensed Lancers and diesel for 21%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 8,725 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre57.5%
  • 1.6 litre23.6%
  • 1.8 litre12.8%
  • 1.5 litre6.1%

Fuel type, licensed Lancers

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol4,81278%
Diesel1,31621%
Gas120.2%

Mitsubishi Lancer recalls

15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mitsubishi Lancer. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Lancer 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

    Lancers 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. Jan 2019 R/2018/355

    Activation of a non-dessicated ammonium nitrate inflator with degraded propellant may result in an inflator rupture

    Lancers built Jan 2004 to Mar 2008 · 13,756 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Activation of a non-desiccated ammonium nitrate inflator with degraded propellant may result in an inflator rupture.
    Remedy
    Replace the airbag inflator (LANCER) or the airbag module (i) with a new non-AN (ammonium nitrate) based unit.

  3. Jul 2016 R/2016/155

    Indicators and/or other vehicle lights may switch off or blink without warning

    Lancers built Dec 2007 to Jul 2008 · 1,801 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to poor connectivity the indicators and/or vehicle lights may turn off or blink
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles apply lubricant to switch connections

  4. Jan 2016 R/2015/219

    Fuel may leak

    Lancers built May 2014 to Jul 2014 · 40 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The right hand side parking brake cable may interfere with the fuel tank. As a result there is possibility of peeling off the coating on the fuel tank. In the worst case the fuel tank can corrode and leak. Leaking fuel is a risk to other road users.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and replace the right hand side parking brake cable with a new one. In addition the fuel tank will be checked and if necessary replaced.

  5. Nov 2015 R/2015/199

    Airbag may release shrapnel if deployed

    Lancers built Jun 2003 to Dec 2008 · 12,830 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Certain passenger side airbags the inflator might release shrapnel from the inflator container during deployment which could injure the passenger.
    Remedy
    On affected vehicles replace air bag modules

  6. Sep 2015 R/2015/157

    ECU malfunction may cause systems to become inoperable

    Lancers built Oct 2008 to Sep 2010 · 3,076 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    During operation the headlights and or the windscreen wipers amongst other systems may become inoperable as a result a none conformity in the Electronic Time & Alarm System (ETACS) ECU.
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check the production date of the ETACS ECU. The ETACS ECU will be replaced if it is within the affected production dates.

  7. Nov 2014 R/2014/124

    Loss of power steering assistance

    Lancers built Dec 2007 to Mar 2009 · 3,885 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to the use of inappropriate material for the drive belt on the 4B1 Petrol engine the nylon idler pulley(s) may wear at an angle. If this continues under this condition the drive belt will be forced off the pulleys. This can lead to battery depletion Overheating and on vehicles with hydraulic power steering the steering effort will increase.
    Remedy
    Replace drive belt. Check and if necessary replace idler pulley(s)

  8. Jul 2014 R/2014/073

    Head light and indicatos may fail

    Lancers built Mar 2005 to Nov 2006 · 1,074 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to a fault in the soldering process of the lighting switch circuit board it is possible that the solder on the lighting circuit switch can crack as a result of temperature changes during production. This can result in the lights or turn signals failing totally or blinking/flicker.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles to inspect the switch and if required replace the switch assembly.
How to check a specific Lancer for recalls

Other Mitsubishi models

The most-tested Mitsubishi models in 2025, against the Lancer's 67.4% MOT pass rate.

All 9 Mitsubishi models

Mitsubishi Lancer FAQs

How many Mitsubishi Lancers are there in the UK?

6,140 Mitsubishi Lancers were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 4,232 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

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.

Has the Mitsubishi Lancer had any recalls?

15 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mitsubishi Lancer. 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 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 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 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.

Already found a Lancer?

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.