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

1,593 Subaru WRX cars are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 88.5% of initial MOT tests, 16.2 points above the 72.3% UK average.

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

Subaru WRX at the MOT

88.5% of 1,806 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the WRX 59th of 575 models. Subaru WRX cars aged 6 to 10 years passed 91.1% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 83.1%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Subaru WRX88.5%
  • All Subaru modelsThe WRX is 14 pts ahead74.5%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Subaru WRX tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years1,239 tests91.1%
  • 11 years and over557 tests83.1%

Where WRX cars fail

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

  • Noise, emissions and leaks30.3%
  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment23%
  • Tyres12.5%
  • Brakes9.1%
  • Visibility7.3%

The items testers recorded most often were catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (7.8%), wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (5.1%) and catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (4.9%).

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

Full Subaru WRX MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

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

  1. 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.30.3% of WRX 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.23% of WRX failure items

  3. 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.12.5% of WRX failure items

Subaru WRX cars in the UK

1,593 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 77% since the end of 2014, although it peaked at 1,878 at the end of 2018.

Change since 2014
+77%from 898 licensed
Typical year of first use
2015half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2015 or earlier
Declared off the road
30716% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Subaru WRX cars since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 2014898
End of 20151,167
End of 20161,510
End of 20171,759
End of 20181,878
End of 20191,844
End of 20201,803
End of 20211,758
End of 20221,711
End of 20231,655
End of 20241,620
End of 20251,550
End of June 20261,593

How old they are

Licensed Subaru WRX cars by year of first use.

  • Licensed at the end of 2025
  • First registered that year
Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025First registered that year
201936
201891111
2017284336
2016293367
2015249315
2014296
201346
2012111
2011106
201067

WRX engine sizes

2.5 litre engines made up 95% of Subaru WRX MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.0 litre at 5.3%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed WRX cars.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 1,806 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 2.5 litre94.6%
  • 2.0 litre5.3%

Subaru WRX recalls

3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Subaru WRX. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every WRX is affected.

  1. Sep 2022 R/2022/259

    Reverse light may fail due to coating on the switch

    WRX cars built Dec 2013 to Oct 2021 · 1,543 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Remedy
    Replace the reverse light switch.

  2. Apr 2019 R/2019/106

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

    WRX cars 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.

  3. Aug 2016 R/2016/147

    Engine may stall

    255 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    The crack on air intake ducts could cause the engine rough idle lower the power and the engine stall. Engine may stall whilst driving. Possible safety hazard whilst driving in traffic
    Remedy
    Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and check date on air intake duct. Depending on finds the air intake ducts may have to be replaced.
How to check a specific WRX for recalls

Other Subaru models

The most-tested Subaru models in 2025, against the WRX's 88.5% MOT pass rate.

All 6 Subaru models

Subaru WRX FAQs

How many Subaru WRX cars are there in the UK?

1,593 Subaru WRX cars were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 307 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Subaru WRX 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 88.5% first-time pass rate for the Subaru WRX across 1,806 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Subaru WRX had any recalls?

3 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Subaru WRX. 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 WRX?

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

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.