Used buying guide · 2025 DVSA data
Buying a used Subaru WRX
The Subaru WRX passed 91.21% of its 1,650 initial MOT tests in 2025 — better than the 77.3% average for all cars. That tells you about the model. It tells you nothing about the specific car you are looking at, which is where the expensive surprises live.
Checking a specific Subaru WRX?
Enter its registration to see finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history before you commit.
What the MOT data shows about the Subaru WRX
Ranked on pass rate, the Subaru WRX sits 56 of 651 models in this data. Subaru as a marque averaged 78.62%, so this model runs 12.6 points ahead of its own brand. A pass rate is not a reliability score — it records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day.
How age affects a used Subaru WRX
This matters more than the headline figure when you are buying: it shows what happens to this model as it gets older.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 years | 4 | 75% |
| 6–10 years | 1,008 | 92.86% |
| 11 years and over | 637 | 88.85% |
Older Subaru WRX examples test at least as well as newer ones here, which usually says more about how they are kept than about the age itself.
What a Subaru WRX most often fails on
Across every Subaru WRX that failed its 2025 MOT, these are the areas testers recorded most often. Treat it as a list of what to look at on a viewing, not as a fault list for any particular car.
| Failure area | Share of failure items |
|---|---|
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 34.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 16.62% |
| Tyres | 14.58% |
| Brakes | 10.5% |
| Suspension | 8.45% |
| Visibility | 5.54% |
See the specific defects Subaru WRX cars fail on, or the full Subaru WRX MOT pass rate breakdown.
What the MOT record will not tell you
Knowing that Subaru WRX failures cluster around noise, emissions and leaks and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is legally safe to buy. An MOT records that a car met a minimum standard on the day it was tested. It does not check the engine, clutch or gearbox, and it says nothing at all about the car's legal and financial history. On a 10.4-year-old average example those are the risks that cost real money:
- Outstanding finance. If money is still owed against the car, the lender may retain an interest in it after you have paid the seller.
- Insurance write-off history. A recorded Cat S or Cat N marker is permanent and affects safety, insurance and resale — and it does not appear on the V5C.
- Stolen markers. A vehicle recorded as stolen can be seized even from a buyer who bought it in good faith.
- Mileage history. Recorded readings that do not move consistently between tests are the clearest sign of a clocked car.
- Previous keepers. An unusual number of owners for the age of the car is worth asking about.
A Carpeep car history check reports all of those against the registration, plus tax status, import and export markers, scrapped status and the vehicle identity details, in one £15 report.
Check the Subaru WRX you are looking at
One registration, one report. Finance, write-off, stolen, mileage, keepers, MOT and tax.
Other Subaru models
- Used Subaru Impreza 79.62% MOT pass rate
- Used Subaru Forester 75.62% MOT pass rate
- Used Subaru Outback 79.16% MOT pass rate
- Used Subaru XV 83.94% MOT pass rate
- Used Subaru Legacy 71.37% MOT pass rate
Used Subaru WRX FAQs
What should I check before buying a used Subaru WRX?
Check the individual car rather than the model: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage history and the number of previous keepers. None of these appear on the V5C or in the MOT record, and a seller does not have to volunteer them. On the model itself, DVSA data for 2025 shows the Subaru WRX passed 91.21% of its initial MOT tests.
Is the Subaru WRX reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability, it measures whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show for the Subaru WRX is a 91.21% first-time pass rate across 1,650 tests in 2025, which is better than the 77.3% average for all cars.
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.
What does a Subaru WRX usually fail its MOT on?
Across Subaru WRX cars that failed their 2025 MOT, the most commonly recorded failure area was noise, emissions and leaks, accounting for 34.4% of failure items. This reflects what testers recorded, not a fault specific to any one car.
MOT figures 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.