At a glance
How 2,247 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 56 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 44 in every 100998 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 20 yearsabout 122,728 miles
- First tests counted
- 2,247
What failed most often
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)20 in every 100 failed tests
- Rear fog light9 in every 100 failed tests
- Drive shaft joints and boots (front)9 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.
These are patterns across 2005 Mitsubishi L200 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
Three faults. The strongest is the leaf spring (rear): 71 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 997 of 998 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.
Leaf spring (rear)
What it means
Modified spring anchor or shackle brackets with more mounting holes than the chassis are not a reason to reject leaf spring suspension, and neither is a missing bump stop rubber. A fractured main leaf is graded Dangerous. A spring that is fractured or seriously weakened is graded Major.
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)
What it means
An anti-roll bar pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major, and one likely to become detached is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general rule 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 103 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.
Anti-roll bar linkage pins and bushes (front)
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 33 first tests, 2.7 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.
Body and structure
Three faults. The strongest is the propeller shaft: 29 times as often as on similar cars.
Propeller shaft
What it means
A transmission shaft likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, and so is a shaft bearing likely to break up. Loose or missing securing bolts, an excessively worn bearing, or a shaft that is bent or badly damaged are graded Major. The inspection covers prop shafts, drive shafts, their couplings and bearings, and drive chains or belts, except on vehicles in a test class the manual exempts.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 36 first tests, 36 times as often as on similar cars.
Chassis condition (front)
What it means
A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 39 first tests, 6.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Chassis condition (rear)
What it means
A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 52 first tests, 3.1 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.
Lamps and electrical
Two faults. The strongest is the rear reflectors: 18 times as often as on similar cars.
Rear reflectors
What it means
A missing rear reflector, or one reflecting white to the rear, is graded Major, as is a reflector with more than half of its reflecting surface defective or damaged. Damage to up to half of the surface is Minor, and so is a reflector that is insecure or not red in colour. Reflective tape is not an acceptable substitute for a rear reflector.
Rear fog light
What it means
A missing obligatory rear fog lamp, one that is not working, or one that does not emit a steady red light is graded Major. A rear fog lamp adversely affected by the operation of any other lamp is Major too. The manual allows it to go out when main beam is switched on or when dipped beam headlamps are switched off.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
Noise, emissions and leaks
Two faults. The strongest is the engine oil leaks: 3.7 times as often as on similar cars.
Engine oil leaks
What it means
Leaks of engine coolant, screen wash and the fluid used for selective catalyst reduction are not reasons for failure. Excessive leaking from the engine that is likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users is Major. Continuous leaking likely to pose a serious risk to road safety is graded Dangerous.
Diesel engine warning light
What it means
An engine malfunction indicator lamp that is illuminated to show a malfunction is graded Major on a diesel, but only on the diesels the test covers, which depends on the vehicle type and when it was first used. DVSA lists it under exhaust emissions for compression ignition engines, and the detail line for the row also names an inoperative lamp.
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.
Leaf spring shackle pins and bushes (rear)
Steering box play
Wheel bearings (front)
Side repeater indicators
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
- 56in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 8in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 36in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 55.6% of 2,247 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 64.3%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 36 not fixed make the 44 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 53 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 57 in every 100 | 312 |
| 2002 | 54 in every 100 | 592 |
| 2003 | 55 in every 100 | 1,188 |
| 2004 | 55 in every 100 | 1,678 |
| 2005 This car | 56 in every 100 | 2,247 |
| 2006 | 54 in every 100 | 3,816 |
| 2007 | 53 in every 100 | 3,184 |
| 2008 | 53 in every 100 | 2,105 |
| 2009 | 52 in every 100 | 1,984 |
| 2010 | 53 in every 100 | 3,059 |
| 2011 | 55 in every 100 | 3,510 |
| 2012 | 57 in every 100 | 2,534 |
| 2013 | 59 in every 100 | 3,327 |
| 2014 | 63 in every 100 | 4,243 |
| 2015 | 67 in every 100 | 6,086 |
| 2016 | 76 in every 100 | 6,259 |
| 2017 | 78 in every 100 | 7,655 |
| 2018 | 80 in every 100 | 7,430 |
| 2019 | 82 in every 100 | 8,251 |
| 2020 | 84 in every 100 | 4,408 |
| 2021 | 85 in every 100 | 2,416 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2005 Mitsubishi L200.
Of 2005 Mitsubishi L200 vehicles with under 90,000 miles, 60 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 154,000 miles or more, 51 in every 100 did.
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 90,000 | 112,000–132,000 | 154,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 10.3 | 8.2 | 8.9 |
| Rear fog light | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.7 |
| Drive shaft joints and boots (front) | 3.3 | 2.8 | 5.5 |
| Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front) | 2.5 | 4.6 | 5.3 |
| Brake light | 2.2 | 3.0 | 4.9 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
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.
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.
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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