Model Reports
8 min readUpdated 11 Sep 2026
DVSA open data · 892 tests analysed
Subaru Impreza 2008: reliability & common MOT faults
250 first-attempt MOT failures were recorded on the 2008 Subaru Impreza in 2025. The item recorded most often on them was Catalyst emissions. Figures are among first-attempt failed MOT tests, not among all tests.
First-attempt pass rate 72.0% across 892 tests in 2025. On 892 tests that is too small a sample to separate this year from the Imprezas either side of it — treat the recorded failures as a checklist, not as a verdict on the year.
First-attempt pass
72.0%
of 892 first tests (2025)
First tests
892
test year 2025
Failed first attempts
250
failed first-attempt tests
Most common fail
25.6%
Catalyst emissions
MOT pass rates
First-attempt and official-style rates among class 4 first tests of the year.
First-attempt pass
72.0%
of 892 first tests (2025)
Official-style pass
76.8%
incl. same-day PRS fixes
First tests
892
class 4 · first MOT of the year
Typical age 17.0 yrs · median mileage 96,246 mi
vs 2024:
+1.6 pp first-attempt
Note:
Class 4 cars · first MOT of the year per vehicle · P/PRS/F outcomes (2025 data).
PRS (fixed at the station the same day) counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate.
Raw outcomes for this cohort — not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix.
MOT doesn't test engine or gearbox internals.
Common faults
Failure patterns that show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars.
These MOT failure patterns show up more often on this registration year than on
similar cars of the same class, age, and mileage.
Shares below are measured across the 250 failed
first attempts in 2025
that the age-and-mileage comparison can be computed on.
Standout: Catalyst emissions — 25.6% of this year's failed first attempts
Recorded on 64 of those tests. It tops the table on elevation — about 4.9× more often than on similar cars of the same age and mileage. On this year it is also the commonest failure, so it answers both questions at once. The full ranked list is in the table below.
No patterns met the strongest callout thresholds on this page; showing the highest-lift
rows that still cleared the display floors.
Only patterns that clear minimum sample and elevation thresholds are shown
(at least 20 failures and about
2.0× more often than similar cars).
Note: Rates and comparisons are among first-attempt failed tests, not all MOTs. Patterns come from MOT defect codes — not manufacturer service bulletins, recalls, or a diagnosis of any individual car. Failures and advisories are listed separately.
Advisories
Notes recorded at the test that appear more often than on similar cars.
Advisory notes recorded on failed first-attempt tests that appear more often than on similar cars.
Advisory pattern
Location
Notes
vs similar cars
Share
Confidence
Pins and bushes (front)
Suspension > Suspension arms > Pins and bushes
Front
52
×2.4
20.8%
Elevated
Exhaust system
Body, chassis, structure > Exhaust system
Any
24
×2.3
9.6%
Elevated
Sub-frame (rear)
Suspension > Sub-frames > Sub-frame
Rear
33
×2.0
13.2%
Elevated
Note: Advisories are not a fail rate — they flag issues noted at the test, often before they become failures.
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
There are too few 2008 Imprezas in the data to call this year good or bad. Judge the individual car, not the year.
What to check on a 2008 Impreza
The items that failed 2008 Imprezas most
often, as a share of the year's failed first attempts. This is what goes
wrong, not what is unusual — the table further up the page covers that.
Catalyst emissions — recorded on 25.6% of failed first attempts
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this
model line. 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.
On 892 tests that is too small a sample to separate this year from the Imprezas either side of it — treat the recorded failures as a checklist, not as a verdict on the year. In 2025, 72.0% of 892 first MOTs on the 2008 Subaru Impreza passed first time (PRS — items fixed at the station the same day — counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 76.8%. Among 250 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test yea…
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that failed 2008 Subaru Imprezas most often at the first attempt were Catalyst emissions (25.6%) — each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong on the car. It is a different question from which patterns are unusual for the class, which the common-faults table answers.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Catalyst emissions (25.6% of those tests; 64 observed failures; about 4.9× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Catalyst emissions shows up more often than on similar cars (25.6% of those tests; 64 observed failures; about 4.9× 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 check point, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2008 Subaru Impreza include Catalyst emissions. These patterns show up more often than on similar cars after we filter out sparse noise — not a full list of every possible fault on an 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 Subaru Impreza (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.
20242025
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.
We never invent pass rates, star scores, or ranks when those data marts are missing.