80.8%
Subaru XV
Subaru XV MOT pass rate and common problems
The Subaru XV passed 80.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 8.5 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was ball joint excessively worn.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the XV compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
74.5%
Subaru average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The XV runs 6.3 points ahead of the Subaru average. It is 2nd of the 6 Subaru models in the data. The average XV arrived at its test 8 years old with 58,735 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
XV MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
Subaru XV cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.6% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 65.3%, a drop of 26.3 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 1,632 | 91.6% | 19.3 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 3,689 | 80.3% | 8 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 1,307 | 65.3% | 7 pts below |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where XV failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Subaru XV cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 54.2% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common XV MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Subaru XV cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 54% of everything testers recorded against failed Subaru XV cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a XV
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Suspension
Recorded most often: ball joint excessively worn, pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn and wheel bearings rough when rotated. 18.7% of failure items.
2
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and stop lamp not working. 13.4% of failure items.
3
Brakes
Recorded most often: brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick and brake discs significantly and obviously worn. 9.3% of failure items.
4
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 7.1% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific XV has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Subaru XV buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Subaru XV MOT FAQs
What is the Subaru XV MOT pass rate?
80.8% of Subaru XV cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 6,950 tests. That is 8.5 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 186th of 575 models.
What does a Subaru XV most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Subaru XV cars failing their 2025 MOT was ball joint excessively worn, on 8.8% of failure items. Next were position lamp not working (8.1%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (7.7%).
Which area causes the most Subaru XV MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was suspension at 27.2%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 27%.
Do older Subaru XV cars fail their MOT more often?
Subaru XV cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.6% of MOT tests in 2025, against 65.3% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every Subaru XV has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Subaru XV that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Subaru XV's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.