Pass rate
94.0%
Above average — 8.0 pts ahead of the 86.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 167 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £36–£136
2017 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate
- 2017
- typical 83,064 mi
Most common fault
Lamps & electrics
26.6% of faults · 12.2% nationally
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
- 93.8%
- Typical mileage
- 83k mi
The 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate is 94.0% of its MOT tests — 8.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Lamps & electrics is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.6% 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
Lamps & electrics: 2.2× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 26.6% of everything recorded on the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer, against 12.2% nationally — 14.4 points above. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 86.0% and this one manages 94.0% — 8.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 167 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 Lancer? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 86.0%, so this figure is 8.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 93.8%. The median 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer in this dataset had covered 83,064 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 96.2% of the time, April–September 93.0%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits", noted on 2.40% of tests.
- 167 recorded tests behind this page.
- 94.0% overall pass rate, 93.8% 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
- 167
- Typical mileage (median)
- 83,064 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
Emissions Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Lancer MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 84% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Lancer
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 39 | 94.9% |
| South West | 19 | 89.5% |
| East of England | 19 | 100.0% |
| Yorkshire | 18 | 100.0% |
| West Midlands | 17 | 100.0% |
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 2017 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 2017 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 exhaust and emissions 2.4% of tests
“catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the lights 1.8% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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 0.6% 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.
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 2017 Lancer through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £36–£136 — and 45% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £36–£136
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp missing
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: catalytic converter missing where one was…
- £120–£400
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 45%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 167 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 2017 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 2017 cars with a similar record
- Audi A8 93.8%
- Porsche Boxster 94.3%
- Lexus Nx 93.5%
- Porsche Macan 93.4%
- Porsche Cayman 94.6%
- Lexus Rx 94.9%
Closest pass rates among 2017 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 2017 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 93 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25 | 26.60% | 12.21% | +14.39 |
| Tyres | 20 | 21.30% | 19.76% | +1.54 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 17 | 18.10% | 5.52% | +12.58 |
| Brakes | 9 | 9.60% | 20.89% | −11.29 |
| Suspension | 7 | 7.40% | 20.98% | −13.58 |
| Steering | 5 | 5.30% | 2.57% | +2.73 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 4 | 4.30% | 5.57% | −1.27 |
| Visibility | 4 | 4.30% | 4.97% | −0.67 |
| Non-component advisories | 1 | 1.10% | 4.18% | −3.08 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1 | 1.10% | 1.76% | −0.66 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.4% | £60–250 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.8% | £60–250 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.8% | £5–25 |
| Catalytic converter missing where one was fitted as standard Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.2% | £120–400 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.2% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.2% | £5–25 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.2% | £5–25 |
| Rear fog lamp missing Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.2% | £3–15 |
| All position lamps adversely affected by the operation of another lamp Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.60% | £5–25 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 0.60% | £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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 7.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 4.2% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 3.6% | £80–180 |
| Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Advisory | 2.4% | £5–25 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 1.8% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 1.8% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 100.0% | 18,270 mi |
| 30-60k | 25 | 96.0% | 49,710 mi |
| 60-90k | 88 | 92.0% | 77,160 mi |
| 90-120k | 37 | 97.3% | 105,956 mi |
| 120k+ | 14 | 92.9% | 145,426 mi |
Source: 167 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.
2017 Lancer MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer?
94.0% of the 167 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 86.0% for cars first used in 2017. First-attempt pass rate: 93.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer?
The three most recorded items are catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits (2.40%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (1.80%), headlamp lens slightly defective (1.80%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 92.9% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer in this dataset had covered 83,064 mi.
Does the season affect the 2017 Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 96.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 93.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.