Pass rate
67.3%
Below average — 5.3 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 330 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £72–£185
2003 Mitsubishi Delica MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 130,321 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
22.7% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2010 81.9% pass
- Avoid 2014 65.7% pass
Across the 22 years on record, a spread of 16.2 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 59.2%
- Typical mileage
- 130k mi
The 2003 Mitsubishi Delica MOT pass rate is 67.3% of its MOT tests — 5.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.7% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mitsubishi Delica does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Steering: 3.2× the national share
Steering accounts for 8.3% of everything recorded on the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica, against 2.6% nationally — 5.7 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 22.7%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Ask for the steering to be checked for play with the wheels on the ground, not on a jack.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 72.6%; this one manages 67.3% — 5.3 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- Based on a small sample. 330 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Mitsubishi Delica? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 5.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 59.2%. The median 2003 Mitsubishi Delica in this dataset had covered 130,321 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 73% of tests, with a 64.3% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 70.3% of the time, April–September 64.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 8.18% of tests.
- 330 recorded tests behind this page.
- 67.3% overall pass rate, 59.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mitsubishi Delica, the average is 72.0% — best year 2010 (81.9%), worst 2014 (65.7%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 330
- Typical mileage (median)
- 130,321 mi
- Make and model
- Mitsubishi Delica
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Delica MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 55% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (73% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Delica
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 67 | 64.2% |
| South West | 66 | 65.2% |
| East of England | 40 | 67.5% |
| North West | 38 | 73.7% |
| West Midlands | 26 | 80.8% |
| Yorkshire | 22 | 54.5% |
| East Midlands | 22 | 68.2% |
| Scotland | 19 | 63.2% |
| Wales | 17 | 70.6% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 Delica
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 Delica
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 8.2% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check corrosion 7.3% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
-
Check the steering 6.1% of tests
“steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”
With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 Delica through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £72–£185 — and 37% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £72–£185
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp not working
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 37%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 330 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Delica, side by side
22 model years on record, from 2000 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 65.7% to 81.9% — a spread of 16.2 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 68.5% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2001 74.0% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 69.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 67.3%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 70.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 70.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 67.5% rear fog lamp not working
- 2007 78.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 74.2% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 73.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2010 81.9% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2011 76.0% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2012 75.8% rear fog lamp missing
- 2013 75.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 65.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 71.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 73.1% service brake performance…
- 2017 71.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2018 71.5% rear fog lamp not working
- 2019 71.4% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2020 74.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2021 76.8% ball joint dust cover severely…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 cars with a similar record
- Volvo V40 67.3%
- Volkswagen Beetle 67.1%
- Ford Ka 68.0%
- Ford Galaxy 68.0%
- Citroen C3 68.2%
- Volkswagen Polo 68.3%
Closest pass rates among 2003 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 1,083 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 250 | 22.70% | 20.98% | +1.72 |
| Brakes | 185 | 16.80% | 20.89% | −4.09 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 149 | 13.60% | 12.21% | +1.39 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 114 | 10.40% | 5.57% | +4.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 106 | 9.60% | 5.52% | +4.08 |
| Steering | 91 | 8.30% | 2.57% | +5.73 |
| Tyres | 62 | 5.60% | 19.76% | −14.16 |
| Non-component advisories | 54 | 4.90% | 4.18% | +0.72 |
| Visibility | 50 | 4.50% | 4.97% | −0.47 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 22 | 2.00% | 1.76% | +0.24 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.2% | £5–20 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 7.9% | £3–15 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 7.3% | £180–450 |
| Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | Major | 6.1% | £120–300 |
| Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 4.5% | £120–300 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 4.2% | £80–180 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.9% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.3% | £80–200 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.0% | £45–110 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Major | 3.0% | £5–15 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 23.9% | £200–700 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 16.1% | £80–180 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 10.6% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 10.0% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | Advisory | 9.4% | £120–300 |
| Wheel bearings has excessive play Suspension | Advisory | 7.0% | £20–55 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 16 | 87.5% | 55,355 mi |
| 60-90k | 55 | 72.7% | 72,561 mi |
| 90-120k | 63 | 63.5% | 105,038 mi |
| 120k+ | 178 | 65.2% | 170,478 mi |
Source: 330 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 Delica MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Mitsubishi Delica?
67.3% of the 330 2003 Mitsubishi Delica tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 59.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Mitsubishi Delica?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (8.18%), rear fog lamp not working (7.88%), component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (7.27%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 87.5% of the time, falling to 65.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Mitsubishi Delica in this dataset had covered 130,321 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Mitsubishi Delica?
Diesel: 64.3% pass rate across 241 tests. Petrol: 75.0% pass rate across 88 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Mitsubishi Delica MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 70.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 64.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.