Subaru Forester I Xe MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Subaru Forester I Xe MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Subaru Forester I Xe passed on its first attempt in 93.7%, and its overall record sits +13.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Subaru Forester I Xe in the 2023–2025 data: 3,823 tests across 4 model years (2019–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Subaru Forester I Xe MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Subaru Forester I Xe, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Subaru Forester I Xe's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Subaru Forester I Xe DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Subaru Forester I Xe, each with how many of the model's 3,823 tests it was noted on.

• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 79 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 58 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 54 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 46 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 36 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 23 Subaru Forester I Xe tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Subaru Forester I Xe Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Subaru Forester I Xe model year on record is 2019 (94.6% across 1,554 tests), and the weakest is 2020 (92.7%). The gap between them is 1.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Subaru Forester I Xe Owners

These checks follow this Subaru Forester I Xe's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Subaru Forester I Xe.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

• the windscreen — “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.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

  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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Subaru Forester I Xe. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Subaru Forester I Xe is most common

Across every Forester I Xe model year on record (2019–2022): 2,061 Subaru Forester I Xe cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,823 tests. Edinburgh (EH) has the most, with 82 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Subaru Forester I Xe cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Subaru Forester I Xe MOT & Reliability