Pass rate
74.2%
Below average — 0.2 pts ahead of the 74.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 4,214 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £20–£53
2009 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate
- 2009
- typical 101,602 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
28.2% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2018 96.2% pass
- Avoid 2010 72.6% pass
Across the 20 years on record, a spread of 23.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 67.4%
- Typical mileage
- 102k mi
The 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate is 74.2% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.2% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mitsubishi Lancer does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.3× the national share
Suspension accounts for 28.2% of everything recorded on the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, against 21.0% nationally — 7.2 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
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 Lancer? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 74.0%, so this figure is 0.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 67.4%. The median 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer in this dataset had covered 101,602 mi.
69% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 75.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 73.9% of the time, April–September 74.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 8.71% of tests.
- 4,214 recorded tests behind this page.
- 74.2% overall pass rate, 67.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mitsubishi Lancer, the average is 76.9% — best year 2018 (96.2%), worst 2010 (72.6%).
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
- 4,214
- Typical mileage (median)
- 101,602 mi
- Make and model
- Mitsubishi Lancer
- 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 Lancer MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (69% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Lancer
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 774 | 76.1% |
| South West | 712 | 68.5% |
| East of England | 471 | 77.3% |
| Yorkshire | 407 | 74.0% |
| West Midlands | 382 | 76.7% |
| North West | 349 | 74.8% |
| Scotland | 309 | 67.6% |
| East Midlands | 295 | 73.9% |
| Wales | 217 | 73.3% |
| London | 164 | 87.2% |
| North East | 134 | 74.6% |
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 2009 Lancer
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 2009 Lancer
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 8.7% 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 the suspension joints 7.0% of tests
“ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the windscreen 3.1% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
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 2009 Lancer through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £20–£53 — and 45% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £20–£53
- Cheapest common item: anti-lock braking system warning lamp…
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 45%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 4,214 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 Lancer, side by side
20 model years on record, from 2000 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.6% to 96.2% — a spread of 23.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 91.4% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2001 90.6% position lamp with a multiple…
- 2002 90.9% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2003 90.4% component mounting prescribed…
- 2004 89.7% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2005 78.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 77.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 76.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 75.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 74.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 73.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 83.5% catalyst emissions carbon…
- 2014 92.9% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2015 92.4% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2016 91.2% window excessively tinted but not…
- 2017 94.0% catalyst emissions carbon…
- 2018 96.2% rear fog lamp missing
- 2019 94.9% rear fog lamp not working
- 2020 89.9% catalyst emissions carbon…
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 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer 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 2009 cars with a similar record
- Nissan Note 74.2%
- Ford Focus 74.1%
- Ford Mondeo 74.0%
- Vauxhall Insignia 74.0%
- Skoda Fabia 73.9%
- Toyota Aygo 74.5%
Closest pass rates among 2009 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 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer 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 11,838 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 | 3,384 | 28.20% | 20.98% | +7.22 |
| Brakes | 2,646 | 22.00% | 20.89% | +1.11 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,679 | 14.00% | 12.21% | +1.79 |
| Tyres | 1,371 | 11.40% | 19.76% | −8.36 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 818 | 6.80% | 5.57% | +1.23 |
| Steering | 590 | 4.90% | 2.57% | +2.33 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 477 | 4.00% | 5.52% | −1.52 |
| Visibility | 470 | 3.90% | 4.97% | −1.07 |
| Non-component advisories | 266 | 2.20% | 4.18% | −1.98 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 137 | 1.10% | 1.76% | −0.66 |
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 | 8.7% | £5–20 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 7.0% | £18–45 |
| Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 5.4% | £18–45 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.4% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.8% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.7% | £5–25 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.1% | £80–200 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 2.6% | £3–15 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 2.3% | £80–180 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.2% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 20.0% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.6% | £45–95 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 14.6% | £180–450 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.6% | £45–110 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 9.6% | £40–150 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 8.2% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 68 | 89.7% | 22,018 mi |
| 30-60k | 441 | 83.4% | 49,102 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,127 | 76.7% | 76,457 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,178 | 73.0% | 104,897 mi |
| 120k+ | 1,388 | 69.2% | 147,897 mi |
Source: 4,214 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.
2009 Lancer MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer?
74.2% of the 4,214 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.0% for cars first used in 2009. First-attempt pass rate: 67.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (8.71%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (6.95%), track rod end ball joint has excessive play (5.43%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.7% of the time, falling to 69.2% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer in this dataset had covered 101,602 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer?
Petrol: 75.9% pass rate across 2,903 tests. Diesel: 70.3% pass rate across 1,311 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 73.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 74.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.