Pass rate
63.7%
Below average — 8.9 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,288 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £56–£154
2003 Mitsubishi Space Star MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 87,224 mi
Most common fault
Suspension
24.4% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2000 66.3% pass
- Avoid 2003 63.7% pass · this year
Across the 6 years on record, a spread of 2.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 50.6%
- Typical mileage
- 87k mi
The 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star MOT pass rate is 63.7% of its MOT tests — 8.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Mitsubishi Space Star does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.0× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 11.1% of everything recorded on the 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star, against 5.6% nationally — 5.5 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 24.4%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 72.6%; this one manages 63.7% — 8.9 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 26% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 Space Star? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 8.9 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 50.6%. The median 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star in this dataset had covered 87,224 mi.
76% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 64.3% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 64.5% of the time, April–September 62.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", noted on 9.24% of tests.
- 1,288 recorded tests behind this page.
- 63.7% overall pass rate, 50.6% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Mitsubishi Space Star, the average is 64.8% — best year 2000 (66.3%), worst 2003 (63.7%).
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
- 1,288
- Typical mileage (median)
- 87,224 mi
- Make and model
- Mitsubishi Space Star
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Corrosion Welding Repair
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Space Star MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 50% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (76% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Space Star
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 369 | 60.2% |
| South East | 265 | 62.3% |
| West Midlands | 158 | 62.0% |
| East of England | 101 | 66.3% |
| North West | 96 | 61.5% |
| East Midlands | 80 | 66.3% |
| Yorkshire | 66 | 65.2% |
| London | 62 | 88.7% |
| Wales | 41 | 61.0% |
| North East | 35 | 65.7% |
| Scotland | 15 | 66.7% |
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 Space Star
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 Space Star
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 corrosion 9.2% 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 suspension joints 8.1% 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 lights 7.5% 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.
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 Space Star through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £56–£154 — and 26% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £56–£154
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 26%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,288 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 Space Star, side by side
6 model years on record, from 2000 to 2005. Across them the pass rate runs from 63.7% to 66.3% — a spread of 2.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 66.3% track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2001 66.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2002 66.1% ball joint dust cover severely…
- 2003 63.7%component mounting prescribed…
- 2004 64.7% component mounting prescribed…
- 2005 64.9% 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 Space Star 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
- Vauxhall Combo 65.8%
- Volkswagen Beetle 67.1%
- Volvo V40 67.3%
- Ford Ka 68.0%
- Ford Galaxy 68.0%
- Citroen C3 68.2%
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 Space Star 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 5,032 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 | 1,250 | 24.40% | 20.98% | +3.42 |
| Brakes | 1,145 | 22.40% | 20.89% | +1.51 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 663 | 13.00% | 12.21% | +0.79 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 570 | 11.10% | 5.57% | +5.53 |
| Tyres | 505 | 9.90% | 19.76% | −9.86 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 308 | 6.00% | 5.52% | +0.48 |
| Steering | 205 | 4.00% | 2.57% | +1.43 |
| Visibility | 174 | 3.40% | 4.97% | −1.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 137 | 2.70% | 1.76% | +0.94 |
| Non-component advisories | 75 | 1.50% | 4.18% | −2.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 9.2% | £180–450 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 8.1% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 7.5% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 7.2% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 6.8% | £80–250 |
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 5.0% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.5% | £30–80 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 4.3% | £45–110 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 4.3% | £8–22 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.2% | £5–20 |
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 | 20.7% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 19.3% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 17.9% | £45–95 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Advisory | 14.2% | £180–450 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 14.1% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 13.1% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 47 | 78.7% | 23,164 mi |
| 30-60k | 199 | 70.9% | 48,802 mi |
| 60-90k | 444 | 63.5% | 75,411 mi |
| 90-120k | 401 | 61.1% | 103,585 mi |
| 120k+ | 196 | 58.7% | 145,799 mi |
Source: 1,288 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 Space Star MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star?
63.7% of the 1,288 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 50.6%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star?
The three most recorded items are component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (9.24%), ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (8.07%), headlamp lens slightly defective (7.45%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 78.7% of the time, falling to 58.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star in this dataset had covered 87,224 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star?
Petrol: 64.3% pass rate across 974 tests. Diesel: 61.7% pass rate across 313 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 64.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 62.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.