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Subaru Forester, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

16,141 Subaru Foresters are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 70.8% of initial MOT tests, 1.5 points below the 72.3% UK average.

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

Subaru Forester at the MOT

70.8% of 15,623 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Forester 340th of 575 models. Subaru Foresters aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.7% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 62.3%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Subaru Forester70.8%
  • All Subaru modelsThe Forester is 3.7 pts behind74.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Subaru Forester tests in 2025.

  • 3 to 5 years1,950 tests89.7%
  • 6 to 10 years5,028 tests76.6%
  • 11 years and over8,422 tests62.3%

Where Foresters fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Subaru Forester tests in 2025.

  • Suspension31.2%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment24.7%
  • Brakes11.6%
  • Noise, emissions and leaks8.5%
  • Visibility7.3%

The items testers recorded most often were pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (6.9%), position lamp not working (5.2%) and ball joint excessively worn (4.6%).

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

Full Subaru Forester MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.31.2% of Forester failure items

  2. 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.24.7% of Forester 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.11.6% of Forester failure items

Subaru Foresters in the UK

16,141 were licensed at the end of June 2026, more than any other Subaru. The number licensed has fallen 25% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−25%from 21,521 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
First registered in 2025
897against 1,357 in 2016
Declared off the road
3,91520% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Subaru Foresters since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201421,521
End of 201521,435
End of 201621,533
End of 201720,826
End of 201820,244
End of 201919,867
End of 202018,879
End of 202118,478
End of 202217,555
End of 202316,981
End of 202416,623
End of 202516,311
End of June 202616,141

How old they are

Licensed Subaru Foresters by year of first use.

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

A further 2,021 were first used before 2006.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
2025816897
2024663772
2023583690
2022260347
2021703858
2020209320
20191,0491,239
20188691,036
2017832986
20161,1401,357
20151,0771,289
20141,046
2013752
2012363
2011700
2010545
2009322
2008392
2007523
2006555

1,077 Foresters first used in 2015 were still licensed at the end of 2025, roughly 84% of the 1,289 first registered that year.

Forester engines and fuel

2.0 litre engines made up 92% of Subaru Forester MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.5 litre at 8.2%. Petrol accounts for 51% of licensed Foresters and hybrid electric for 25%.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 15,615 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.0 litre91.7%
  • 2.5 litre8.2%

Fuel type, licensed Foresters

DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.

FuelLicensedShare
Petrol8,26751%
Diesel3,74423%
Hybrid electric4,08525%
Gas450.3%

Subaru Forester recalls

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

  1. Sep 2022 R/2022/266

    The impeller deformation may cause the fuel pump to become inoperative

    Foresters built Nov 2020 to Jun 2021 · 99 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The fuel pump impeller may cause the pump failure resulting in stalling of the vehicle.
    Remedy
    Replace the fuel pump assembly.

  2. Nov 2021 R/2021/353

    Potential failure of the ignition coil module causing engine stall and a none start condition

    Foresters built Sep 2016 to Oct 2019 · 2,338 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Ignition coils may short circuit and fail.
    Remedy
    Replace all ignition coils. If a misfire DTC is stored replace the front exhaust pipe.

  3. Nov 2021 R/2021/352

    The bolts of the rear stabiliser bracket might become loose

    Foresters built Apr 2017 to May 2019 · 1,949 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The bolts on the rear stabilizer bracket might become loose.
    Remedy
    Inspect the bolts and tighten them to the specified torque. If the bolt(s) are missing new bolts will be attached.

  4. Nov 2020 R/2020/316

    Due to improper ECM programming under certain circumstances the ignition coil may be energized longer than designed after the engine is off

    Foresters built Sep 2016 to Oct 2019 · 2,338 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Possible engine stall and restart failure.
    Remedy
    Re-programme the engine control module and replace if required the ignition coil.

  5. Apr 2019 R/2019/106

    Silicone gas may seep into stop light switch housing and lead to a conduction failure

    Foresters built Jun 2010 to Sep 2016 · 6,975 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The vehicle's brake lights may not operate properly.
    Remedy
    The brake light switch will be replaced on affected vehicles.

  6. Mar 2019 R/2019/025

    The load may exceed the valve spring's fatigue strength and the spring may fracture

    Foresters built Jan 2013 to Dec 2014 · 812 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Engine valve springs may fracture.
    Remedy
    Replace all engine valve springs.

  7. Jan 2019 R/2018/333

    Clutch pipe may contact bulkhead wiring and potentially cause the engine to cut out

    Foresters built Jan 2013 to Dec 2014 · 1,146 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Clutch pipe may contact and damage the bulkhead wiring.
    Remedy
    Check and replace clutch pipe and wiring replace as necessary.

  8. Jul 2018 R/2018/141

    Front passenger airbag inflator may rupture in a deployment event

    7,589 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Potential injury if Airbag deployed
    Remedy
    On Affected vehicles replace Airbag inflator unit
How to check a specific Forester for recalls

Other Subaru models

The most-tested Subaru models in 2025, against the Forester's 70.8% MOT pass rate.

All 6 Subaru models

Subaru Forester FAQs

How many Subaru Foresters are there in the UK?

16,141 Subaru Foresters were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 3,915 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Subaru Forester 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 70.8% first-time pass rate for the Subaru Forester across 15,623 tests in 2025, below the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Subaru Forester had any recalls?

12 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Subaru Forester. The most recent was published in September 2022. 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 Subaru Forester?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, 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 Subaru Forester'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 Forester?

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