Subaru Forester Xc Boxer MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Subaru Forester Xc Boxer MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Subaru Forester Xc Boxer passed on its first attempt in 72.5%, and its overall record sits −2.9 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Subaru Forester Xc Boxer in the 2023–2025 data: 361 tests across 3 model years (2011–2013). 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 Xc Boxer MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Subaru Forester Xc Boxer, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 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 Xc Boxer's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Subaru Forester Xc Boxer DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Subaru Forester Xc Boxer, each with how many of the model's 361 tests it was noted on.

• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 27 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 7.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 26 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 7.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 22 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 6.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Stop lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 18 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 5.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 14 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 3.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 9 Subaru Forester Xc Boxer tests, 2.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Subaru Forester Xc Boxer Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Subaru Forester Xc Boxer model year on record is 2013 (81.8% across 88 tests), and the weakest is 2011 (75.5%). The gap between them is 6.3 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Subaru Forester Xc Boxer reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 3.1 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Subaru Forester Xc Boxer Owners

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

• the lights — “position lamp not working”

  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.

• the suspension joints — “pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”

  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.

• 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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Subaru Forester Xc Boxer MOT & Reliability