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Porsche Boxster, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

24,670 Porsche Boxsters are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 82.6% of initial MOT tests, 10.3 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Porsche Boxster at the MOT

82.6% of 32,332 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Boxster 161st of 575 models. Porsche Boxsters aged 3 to 5 years passed 94.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 79.8%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Porsche Boxster82.6%
  • All Porsche modelsThe Boxster is 5 pts behind87.6%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Porsche Boxster tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years1,353 tests94.2%
  • 6 to 10 years5,282 tests93%
  • 11 years and over25,479 tests79.8%

Where Boxsters fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Porsche Boxster tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26.3%
  • Brakes17.1%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks14.6%
  • Suspension13.7%
  • Tyres9.9%

The items testers recorded most often were catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (7.7%), rigid brake pipes excessively corroded (5.9%) and coil spring fractured or broken (4.4%).

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

Full Porsche Boxster MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The Boxster'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.26.3% of Boxster failure items

  2. 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.17.1% of Boxster failure items

  3. 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.14.6% of Boxster failure items

Porsche Boxsters in the UK

24,670 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 18% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−18%from 30,247 licensed
Typical year of first use
2005half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2005 or earlier
First registered in 2025
7against 1,146 in 2015
Declared off the road
7,76224% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Porsche Boxsters since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201430,247
End of 201530,548
End of 201630,261
End of 201729,200
End of 201828,026
End of 201926,984
End of 202025,687
End of 202125,227
End of 202224,333
End of 202323,136
End of 202422,119
End of 202521,699
End of June 202624,670

How old they are

Licensed Porsche Boxsters by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year

A further 8 were first used before 1997.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2016420563
20159301,146
20141,057
20131,129
2012958
2011651
2010668
2009703
2008789
20071,202
20061,404
20052,489
20041,440
20031,787
20021,476
20011,404
20001,283
1999678
1998469
1997245

930 Boxsters first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 81% of the 1,146 first registered that year.

Boxster engines and fuel

2.7 litre engines made up 36% of Porsche Boxster MOT tests in 2025, followed by 3.2 litre at 24%. Petrol accounts for 89% of licensed Boxsters and gas for 11%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 32,329 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.7 litre36.1%
  • 3.2 litre24.5%
  • 3.4 litre14.5%
  • 2.5 litre11%
  • 2.0 litre8.2%

Fuel type, licensed Boxsters

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol21,85389%
Diesel11<0.1%
Battery electric1<0.1%
Gas2,80511%

Porsche Boxster recalls

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

  1. Jun 2024 R/2024/243

    ARA7 Recall campaign - Replace shift cable

    Boxsters built Jun 2023 to Mar 2024

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the transmission shift cable may have had the safety clip on the shift cable incorrectly fitted or the cable sheath on the shift cable may be damaged resulting in the risk of a roll away incident after the vehicle is placed in park (P) if the parking brake is not applied.
    Remedy
    Replace shift cable

  2. Dec 2023 R/2024/001

    On affected vehicles the rear spoiler setting may not meet specifications due to incorrect coding during production making it too high. The high-mounted brake light may become less visible while driving and the aerodynamics of the vehicle may change

    Boxsters built Jun 2023 to Oct 2023 · 45 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Re-code the rear vehicle electronics control unit on affected vehicles.

  3. Jan 2022 R/2022/035

    The fitted tyres may adversely affect vehicle emission outputs

    Boxsters built May 2015 to Dec 2015 · 22 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Check whether the Pirelli PZero N0 tyres fitted ex-works are still on affected 981 Spyder vehicles and replace them with the successor model Pirelli PZero N1.

  4. Sep 2021 R/2021/314

    Rear axle carrier side parts may not meet required specifications

    Boxsters built Sep 2012 to Feb 2013 · 1,854 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The carrier side parts installed on the rear axle during a certain period may not meet the required specifications.
    Remedy
    The left and right carrier side parts of the affected vehicles must be replaced.

  5. Aug 2019 R/2019/250

    Air bag control unit may have been installed with a faulty capacitor

    Boxsters built Jun 2015 to Jun 2016 · 1,810 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Possible fault within the air bag control unit.
    Remedy
    Software upgrade to the control unit and replacement if faulty.

  6. Mar 2019 R/2019/111

    The airbag sensors in the side members on the vehicle may not be screwed tightly enough

    Boxsters built Nov 2017 to Apr 2018 · 211 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    There is a possibility that the side airbag sensors are not tightened to specification.
    Remedy
    Check both side airbag sensors and rework the fixing where necessary.

  7. Nov 2014 R/2014/151

    Bonnet catch assembly may fail

    Boxsters built May 2014 to Jun 2014 · 378 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    On affected vehicles the upper part of the catch mechanism fitted to the front luggage compartment lid may not be secured to the correct specification. The mechanism may become detached from the lid allowing it to open unintentionally.
    Remedy
    Replace upper part of catch mechanism and secure with new screws

  8. Apr 2010 R/2010/036

    Sun shield may detach

    82 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It is possible that the locking hook on the sunshield may not engage correctly into the lock catch on the windscreen frame. If this occurs then the shield can open when the vehicle is travelling at high speeds.
    Remedy
    Recall the affected vehicles for the shield catch to be replaced.
How to check a specific Boxster for recalls

Other Porsche models

The most-tested Porsche models in 2025, against the Boxster's 82.6% MOT pass rate.

All 8 Porsche models

Porsche Boxster FAQs

How many Porsche Boxsters are there in the UK?

24,670 Porsche Boxsters were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 7,762 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Porsche Boxster 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 82.6% first-time pass rate for the Porsche Boxster across 32,332 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Porsche Boxster had any recalls?

9 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Porsche Boxster. The most recent was published in June 2024. 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 Porsche Boxster?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and noise, emissions and leaks. 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 Porsche Boxster'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 Boxster?

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 Porsche history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Porsche 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.