Pass rate
87.2%
Above average — 15.0 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 7,783 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £47–£141
2004 Porsche 911 MOT pass rate
- 2004
- 4 trims combined
- typical 73,348 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
27.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
8.4 pts down across model years — 8.9% in 2000, 0.5% in 2015.
Which year to buy
- Best 2022 96.6% pass
- Avoid 2003 85.5% pass
Across the 23 years on record, a spread of 11.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 85.9%
- Typical mileage
- 73k mi
The 2004 Porsche 911 MOT pass rate is 87.2% of its MOT tests — 15.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Porsche 911 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 27.9% of everything recorded on the 2004 Porsche 911, against 20.9% nationally — 7.0 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- 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 72.2% and this one manages 87.2% — 15.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 35% 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 Porsche 911? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Porsche 911 first registered in 2004 is combined here — 4 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2004 Porsche 911 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 15.0 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 85.9%. The median 2004 Porsche 911 in this dataset had covered 73,348 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 87.5% of the time, April–September 86.9%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 2.57% of tests.
- 7,783 recorded tests behind this page.
- 87.2% overall pass rate, 85.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Porsche 911, the average is 91.0% — best year 2022 (96.6%), worst 2003 (85.5%).
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
- 7,783
- Typical mileage (median)
- 73,348 mi
- Make and model
- Porsche 911
- 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 911 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 72% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the 911
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 2,171 | 87.6% |
| East of England | 1,125 | 90.1% |
| South West | 796 | 83.8% |
| West Midlands | 680 | 87.8% |
| North West | 614 | 87.8% |
| East Midlands | 600 | 84.3% |
| Yorkshire | 533 | 86.1% |
| London | 485 | 87.2% |
| Scotland | 364 | 86.3% |
| North East | 221 | 90.5% |
| Wales | 191 | 84.8% |
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 2004 911
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 2004 911
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 2.6% 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 exhaust and emissions 2.2% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside 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 windscreen 2.0% 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 2004 911 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £47–£141 — and 35% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £47–£141
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 40%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 35%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 7,783 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 911, side by side
23 model years on record, from 2000 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 85.5% to 96.6% — a spread of 11.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 85.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2001 86.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2002 85.5% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2003 85.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2004 87.2%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 88.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 88.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 89.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 91.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 91.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 92.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2011 93.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2012 93.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 94.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 95.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 95.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 95.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 95.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 95.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 95.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 96.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 96.2% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 96.6% has a cut in excess of the…
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 2004 Porsche 911 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 2004 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 86.7%
- Honda S2000 86.7%
- BMW M3 88.2%
- Bentley Continental 89.2%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 83.1%
- Subaru Impreza 82.2%
Closest pass rates among 2004 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 2004 Porsche 911 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 7,937 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 2,239 | 27.90% | 20.89% | +7.01 |
| Tyres | 1,341 | 16.70% | 19.76% | −3.06 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,281 | 16.00% | 12.21% | +3.79 |
| Suspension | 889 | 11.10% | 20.98% | −9.88 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 744 | 9.30% | 5.52% | +3.78 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 503 | 6.30% | 5.57% | +0.73 |
| Visibility | 355 | 4.40% | 4.97% | −0.57 |
| Non-component advisories | 286 | 3.60% | 4.18% | −0.58 |
| Steering | 180 | 2.20% | 2.57% | −0.37 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 119 | 1.50% | 1.76% | −0.26 |
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 | 2.6% | £5–20 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.2% | £60–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.0% | £80–200 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 1.4% | £80–180 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 1.3% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.3% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 1.3% | £80–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.3% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 0.80% | £30–80 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 0.67% | £45–95 |
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 | 12.5% | £80–180 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 8.5% | £45–110 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 8.3% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 4.5% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 4.4% | £45–95 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 482 | 95.2% | 21,042 mi |
| 30-60k | 1,990 | 91.3% | 47,387 mi |
| 60-90k | 3,148 | 86.6% | 75,023 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,624 | 83.2% | 101,872 mi |
| 120k+ | 532 | 80.5% | 139,146 mi |
Source: 7,783 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.
2004 911 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Porsche 911?
87.2% of the 7,783 2004 Porsche 911 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 85.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Porsche 911?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (2.57%), catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (2.16%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (2.02%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Porsche 911 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 95.2% of the time, falling to 80.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Porsche 911 in this dataset had covered 73,348 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Porsche 911 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 87.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 86.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.