Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mitsubishi Colt 2008: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 50 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2008 Mitsubishi Colt were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Drive shaft joints and boots (front).

Summary

The 2008 Mitsubishi Colt follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 3,283 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
50 in every 100
Did not pass first time
50 in every 1001,646 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
17 yearsabout 83,652 miles
First tests counted
3,283

What failed most often

  1. Drive shaft joints and boots (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)15 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim10 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2008 Mitsubishi Colt vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (front): 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,645 of 1,646 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Anti-roll bar linkage (front)

Failed on 53 first tests11 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 61 first tests11 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear in an anti-roll bar linkage pin or bush is Major. If the pin or bush is likely to become detached, it is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general one for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 75 first tests, 5.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Wheel bearings (rear)

Failed on 48 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive play in a wheel bearing, or a bearing that is excessively rough, is Major. Play so excessive that the bearing is likely to break up or directional control is impaired is Dangerous, and so is a bearing so rough that it is likely to overheat or break up.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 33 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 138 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 91 first tests, 2.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 116 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 2.7 times as often as on similar cars.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 264 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Steering

One fault: track rod end (front), 2.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Track rod end (front)

Failed on 164 first tests2.6 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play is Major, and one worn to the extent there is a serious risk of detachment is graded Dangerous. A dust cover that is damaged but still keeps dirt out is Minor, and one missing or no longer keeping dirt out is Major. Testers must tell wear from a joint's built-in clearance or spring loading.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 43 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Visibility

One fault: windscreen wipers (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Windscreen wipers (front)

Failed on 106 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Only a clearly damaged or worn windscreen wiper needs to be rejected. A wiper that is missing or not working is graded Major, and so is a blade that is missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen. A defective blade is graded Minor.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Vehicle structure condition (rear)

Noted on 26 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Noted on 57 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 41 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
50in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
10in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
40in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 49.9% of 3,283 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 59.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 40 not fixed make the 50 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol2,81781,290 miles5050
Diesel46694,958 miles4748

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020052008Older carsNewer cars
4060801002008Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200452 in every 100300
200551 in every 1001,402
200651 in every 1002,016
200749 in every 1002,691
2008 This car50 in every 1003,283
200953 in every 1003,292
201056 in every 1002,272
201162 in every 1001,510
201263 in every 1001,347
201365 in every 100479

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2008 Mitsubishi Colt.

Of 2008 Mitsubishi Colt vehicles with under 58,000 miles, 64 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 113,000 miles or more, 41 in every 100 did.

Under 58,000658 tests
64
58,000–76,000658 tests
52
76,000–92,000 Typical car645 tests
48
92,000–113,000651 tests
44
113,000 and over670 tests
41

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol81,290 miles5050
Diesel94,958 miles4748

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 94,958 against 81,290). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 58,00076,000–92,000113,000 and over
Drive shaft joints and boots (front)5.88.48.1
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)1.58.29.0
Headlight aim3.04.56.1
Track rod end (front)1.75.95.7
Suspension mounting area (rear)1.85.47.3

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

22in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

54in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

11in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2008 Mitsubishi Colt follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Drive shaft joints and boots (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 49.9% of 3,283 first MOTs on the 2008 Mitsubishi Colt passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 59.8%. Among 1,646 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (front) appears more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2008 Mitsubishi Colt at the first attempt were Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (16.0%), Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (14.7%) and Headlight aim (10.2%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Anti-roll bar linkage (front) (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (3.2% of those tests; 53 observed failures; about 11× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2008 Mitsubishi Colt include Anti-roll bar linkage (front), Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front), Airbag warning light. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2008 Mitsubishi Colt (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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