Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Mitsubishi L200 2021: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 85 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2021 Mitsubishi L200 were passes.

Summary

The 2021 Mitsubishi L200 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,416 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
85 in every 100
Did not pass first time
15 in every 100353 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
4 yearsabout 46,650 miles
First tests counted
2,416

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 2021 Mitsubishi L200 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: rear fog light, 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 353 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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.

Rear fog light

Failed on 29 first tests13 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

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

One fault: diesel engine warning light, 4.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel engine warning light

Failed on 34 first tests4.1 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (front), 2.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (front)

Failed on 41 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

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.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 21 first tests120 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Shock absorbers (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests4.9 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
85in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
4in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
11in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 85.4% of 2,416 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 89.2%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 4 fixed and the 11 not fixed make the 15 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

4060801002005201020152021Older cars
40608010020102021Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 87 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200157 in every 100312
200254 in every 100592
200355 in every 1001,188
200455 in every 1001,678
200556 in every 1002,247
200654 in every 1003,816
200753 in every 1003,184
200853 in every 1002,105
200952 in every 1001,984
201053 in every 1003,059
201155 in every 1003,510
201257 in every 1002,534
201359 in every 1003,327
201463 in every 1004,243
201567 in every 1006,086
201676 in every 1006,259
201778 in every 1007,655
201880 in every 1007,430
201982 in every 1008,251
202084 in every 1004,408
2021 This car85 in every 1002,416

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2021 Mitsubishi L200.

Of 2021 Mitsubishi L200 vehicles with under 30,000 miles, 92 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 71,000 miles or more, 81 in every 100 did.

Under 30,000484 tests
92
30,000–41,000473 tests
86
41,000–53,000 Typical car484 tests
84
53,000–71,000486 tests
84
71,000 and over489 tests
81

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 2021 Mitsubishi L200 follows the pattern of the model years either side. In 2025, 85.4% of 2,416 first MOTs on the 2021 Mitsubishi L200 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 89.2%. Among 353 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Rear fog light appears more often than on similar cars (8.2% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 13× 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Rear fog light (8.2% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 13× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Rear fog light shows up more often than on similar cars (8.2% of those tests; 29 observed failures; about 13× 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 2021 Mitsubishi L200 include Rear fog light, Diesel engine 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 2021 Mitsubishi L200 (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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