Pass rate
72.9%
Below average — 0.2 pts behind the 73.1% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 776 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £33–£102
2008 Subaru Outback MOT pass rate
- 2008
- typical 120,206 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Suspension
31.1% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Part only £35–£75 for Suspension pin or bush excessively worn. What fitting it takes →
15.3 pts down across model years — 17.3% in 2005, 2.0% in 2019.
Which year to buy
- Best 2021 93.2% pass
- Avoid 2004 71.2% pass
Across the 20 years on record, a spread of 22 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 65.5%
- Typical mileage
- 120k mi
The 2008 Subaru Outback MOT pass rate is 72.9% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 31.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Suspension: 1.5× the national share
Suspension accounts for 31.1% of everything recorded on the 2008 Subaru Outback, against 21.0% nationally — 10.1 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.
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 Subaru Outback? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2008 Subaru Outback compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.1%, so this figure is 0.2 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 65.5%. The median 2008 Subaru Outback in this dataset had covered 120,206 mi.
67% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Petrol, which passed 73.2% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.2% of the time, April–September 70.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.31% of tests.
- 776 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.9% overall pass rate, 65.5% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Subaru Outback, the average is 82.4% — best year 2021 (93.2%), worst 2004 (71.2%).
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
- 776
- Typical mileage (median)
- 120,206 mi
- Make and model
- Subaru Outback
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
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 Outback MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (67% of tests).
Where the Subaru Outback is most common
Across all Outback model years on record (2003–2022): 10,839 Subaru Outback cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 25,425 tests. Guildford (GU) has the most, with 370 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guildford (GU) | 370 | 81.2% |
| 2 | Ashford (TN) | 265 | 85.6% |
| 3 | Reading (RG) | 251 | 83.6% |
| 4 | Edinburgh (EH) | 231 | 83.2% |
| 5 | Swindon (SN) | 230 | 87.4% |
| 6 | Gloucester (GL) | 224 | 79.4% |
| 7 | Ipswich (IP) | 224 | 81.6% |
| 8 | Coventry (CV) | 222 | 85.4% |
| 9 | Sheffield (S) | 212 | 84.9% |
| 10 | Aberdeen (AB) | 200 | 73.6% |
| 11 | Oxford (OX) | 191 | 82.1% |
| 12 | Northampton (NN) | 188 | 85.3% |
| 13 | Birmingham (B) | 184 | 87.7% |
| 14 | Inverness (IV) | 180 | 85.5% |
| 15 | Exeter (EX) | 174 | 79.7% |
| 16 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 174 | 86.2% |
| 17 | Taunton (TA) | 165 | 81.8% |
| 18 | Peterborough (PE) | 163 | 81.9% |
| 19 | Leeds (LS) | 163 | 84.9% |
| 20 | Derby (DE) | 158 | 84.5% |
The twenty areas with the most Subaru Outback 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 →
Regional pass rates for the Outback
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 176 | 75.0% |
| South West | 123 | 68.3% |
| East of England | 87 | 78.2% |
| West Midlands | 76 | 73.7% |
| North West | 68 | 79.4% |
| Scotland | 62 | 69.4% |
| Yorkshire | 58 | 67.2% |
| East Midlands | 42 | 69.0% |
| North East | 28 | 82.1% |
| London | 28 | 71.4% |
| Wales | 28 | 64.3% |
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 2008 Outback
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 2008 Outback
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 6.3% 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 suspension joints 6.1% of tests
“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.
-
Check the windscreen 4.9% 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 2008 Outback through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £33–£102 — and 49% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £33–£102
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 49%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 776 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 Outback, side by side
20 model years on record, from 2003 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.2% to 93.2% — a spread of 22 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 75.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 71.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 71.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 71.7% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2007 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 72.9%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 75.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 76.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 78.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 77.1% position lamp not working
- 2013 81.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 84.3% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 84.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 88.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 90.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2018 91.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 91.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 92.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 93.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 92.0% has ply or cords exposed
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 2008 Subaru Outback 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 2008 cars with a similar record
- Honda Fr-V 72.9%
- Skoda Octavia 72.8%
- Volvo S40 72.8%
- Mitsubishi Shogun 72.8%
- Nissan Note 73.1%
- Ford Ranger 73.1%
Closest pass rates among 2008 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 2008 Subaru Outback 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 2,286 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 | 712 | 31.10% | 20.98% | +10.12 |
| Brakes | 442 | 19.30% | 20.89% | −1.59 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 307 | 13.40% | 12.21% | +1.19 |
| Tyres | 225 | 9.80% | 19.76% | −9.96 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 223 | 9.70% | 5.57% | +4.13 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 155 | 6.80% | 5.52% | +1.28 |
| Visibility | 88 | 3.80% | 4.97% | −1.17 |
| Non-component advisories | 52 | 2.30% | 4.18% | −1.88 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 43 | 1.90% | 1.76% | +0.14 |
| Steering | 39 | 1.70% | 2.57% | −0.87 |
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 | 6.3% | £5–20 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 6.1% | £40–150 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.9% | £80–200 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.3% | £5–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 4.0% | £80–250 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.7% | £80–250 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.6% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp levelling device inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 3.6% | £5–25 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 3.6% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 3.4% | £3–12 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 27.4% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 16.6% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 12.2% | £80–180 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 11.9% | £18–45 |
| Sub-frame corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 11.5% | £180–450 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.6% | £45–110 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 3 | 100.0% | 28,784 mi |
| 30-60k | 26 | 92.3% | 50,982 mi |
| 60-90k | 143 | 76.9% | 76,874 mi |
| 90-120k | 212 | 75.5% | 106,322 mi |
| 120k+ | 390 | 69.0% | 153,619 mi |
Source: 776 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.
2008 Outback MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2008 Subaru Outback?
72.9% of the 776 2008 Subaru Outback tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.1% for cars first used in 2008. First-attempt pass rate: 65.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2008 Subaru Outback?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.31%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (6.06%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.90%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2008 Subaru Outback MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 69.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2008 Subaru Outback in this dataset had covered 120,206 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2008 Subaru Outback?
Petrol: 73.2% pass rate across 523 tests. Diesel: 72.0% pass rate across 250 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2008 Subaru Outback MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 70.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.