Mitsubishi Mirage, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
10,800 Mitsubishi Mirages are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 80.5% of initial MOT tests, 8.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Mirage? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mitsubishi Mirage at the MOT
80.5% of 11,135 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Mirage 192nd of 575 models. Mitsubishi Mirages aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 72.9%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Mitsubishi Mirage tests in 2025.
Where Mirages fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mitsubishi Mirage tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (10.3%), tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (9.3%) and brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick (7.1%).
The MOT page lists every common Mirage MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Mirage's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.22.7% of Mirage failure items
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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.20.4% of Mirage failure items
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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.17.5% of Mirage failure items
Mitsubishi Mirages in the UK
10,800 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 149% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 11,432 at the end of 2021.
- Change since 2014
- +149%from 4,342 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2016half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2016 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 1against 1,634 in 2015
- Declared off the road
- 2352.1% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mitsubishi Mirages since 2014
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2014 | 4,342 |
| End of 2015 | 5,846 |
| End of 2016 | 7,147 |
| End of 2017 | 8,415 |
| End of 2018 | 9,441 |
| End of 2019 | 10,525 |
| End of 2020 | 11,088 |
| End of 2021 | 11,432 |
| End of 2022 | 11,313 |
| End of 2023 | 11,194 |
| End of 2024 | 11,040 |
| End of 2025 | 10,925 |
| End of June 2026 | 10,800 |
How old they are
Licensed Mitsubishi Mirages by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 253 | 279 |
| 2020 | 686 | 725 |
| 2019 | 1,114 | 1,178 |
| 2018 | 1,042 | 1,124 |
| 2017 | 1,254 | 1,344 |
| 2016 | 1,366 | 1,462 |
| 2015 | 1,459 | 1,634 |
| 2014 | 1,688 | |
| 2013 | 2,046 |
1,459 Mirages first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 89% of the 1,634 first registered that year.
Mirage engine sizes
1.2 litre engines made up 94% of Mitsubishi Mirage MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.0 litre at 5.9%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed Mirages.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 11,135 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Mitsubishi Mirage recalls
3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mitsubishi Mirage. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Mirage is affected.
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Jan 2019 R/2018/347
Inappropriate ECU program for the battery deterioration judgment (state of charge)
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Inappropriate ECU program for battery deterioration judgement.
- Remedy
- Reprogram the software with the countermeasure software.
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Dec 2013 R/2013/131
Braking performance may be affected
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- There is the possibility that air may have become trapped in the ABS hydraulic unit of the braking system caused by improper air bleeding during the factory brake fluid refill. In the worst case this can cause increased brake pedal stroke and/or decreased braking force.
- Remedy
- Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected to replace the hydraulic unit (ABS) and bleed the brakes.
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Apr 2013 R/2013/045
Braking may be reduced
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- It is possible that moisture can enter the front wheel ABS sensors via its wiring due to insufficient waterproofing. This can cause the generation of an abnormal signal to the ABS ECU. This will normally be identified to the driver by the illumination of a warning light on the dash panel the fluctuation of the speedometer needle or noise produced by the false activation of the ABS system. In extreme cases it could affect the directional control of the vehicle or reduce the braking efficiency of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Recall all affected vehicle to replace the sensors.
Other Mitsubishi models
The most-tested Mitsubishi models in 2025, against the Mirage's 80.5% MOT pass rate.
- Mitsubishi L200
- Mitsubishi Outlander
- Mitsubishi ASX
- Mitsubishi Shogun
- Mitsubishi Colt
- Mitsubishi Eclipse
Mitsubishi Mirage FAQs
How many Mitsubishi Mirages are there in the UK?
10,800 Mitsubishi Mirages were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 235 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mitsubishi Mirage 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 an 80.5% first-time pass rate for the Mitsubishi Mirage across 11,135 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mitsubishi Mirage had any recalls?
3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 2010 to July 2026 name the Mitsubishi Mirage. The most recent was published in January 2019. 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 Mirage?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Mirage'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 Mirage?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,390 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 July 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.