75.2%
Subaru Impreza pass rate
Used Subaru Impreza buying guide
In 2025, Subaru Impreza cars passed 75.2% of 16,988 initial MOT tests, 2.9 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Impreza? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Subaru Impreza MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+2.9
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Impreza sits 263rd of 575 models in the data. Subaru as a brand averaged 74.5%, so this model runs 0.7 points ahead of its own brand. Subaru Impreza cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 74.8%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Subaru Impreza MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Impreza compares with similar cars.
Impreza fuel types
Petrol was the most common fuel among Subaru Impreza cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 0.6% of tests.
Where the Impreza fails its MOT
Where Subaru Impreza 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 component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (6.8%), position lamp not working (4.9%) and catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (3.9%). See every common Impreza MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Subaru Impreza that failed, not a claim that every Impreza has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Impreza?
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. 23.7% of Impreza failure items.
2
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 21.8% of Impreza 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. 18% of Impreza failure items.
4
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. 10.9% of Impreza failure items.
5
Body, chassis, structure
Look underneath and along the sills for corrosion, and check for damaged or poorly repaired panels. 8.7% of Impreza 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 Subaru Impreza 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 Impreza you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Subaru history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Subaru models
The most-tested Subaru models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Impreza.
Used Subaru Impreza FAQs
Is the Subaru Impreza 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 75.2% first-time pass rate for the Subaru Impreza across 16,988 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Subaru Impreza cars fail their MOT more often?
Subaru Impreza cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 85.4% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 74.8%. 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 Subaru Impreza?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and noise, emissions and leaks. 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 Subaru Impreza'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.