Subaru WRX MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Subaru WRX MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Subaru WRX passed on its first attempt in 91.5%, and its overall record sits +11.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Subaru WRX in the 2023–2025 data: 4,957 tests across 8 model years (2010–2018). 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 WRX MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Subaru WRX, the Noise, emissions and leaks 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 WRX's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Subaru WRX DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Subaru WRX, each with how many of the model's 4,957 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 105 Subaru WRX tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 60 Subaru WRX tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 58 Subaru WRX tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 48 Subaru WRX tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 35 Subaru WRX tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits" (Major) — noted on about 34 Subaru WRX tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Subaru WRX Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Subaru WRX model year on record is 2018 (94.9% across 275 tests), and the weakest is 2012 (84.0%). The gap between them is 10.9 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Subaru WRX reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.8 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 WRX Owners

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

• the lights — “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.

• 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 exhaust and emissions — “catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's 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.

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

Where the Subaru WRX is most common

Across every WRX model year on record (2010–2018): 2,442 Subaru WRX cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,957 tests. Coventry (CV) has the most, with 79 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 WRX 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 WRX MOT & Reliability