Mitsubishi L200 MOT failure rate and common faults
75,754 Mitsubishi L200 pickups aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 30.6% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 28.1% of the time, which makes the Mitsubishi L200 9% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
30.6%
failed first time
75,754 MOT tests in 2025
+9%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 28.1%
5 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
90.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 104.8
What fails on a Mitsubishi L200 MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Mitsubishi L200 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 72.1 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 61.1 |
| Rear fog lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 40.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 35.9 |
| Ball joint excessively worn | Suspension | 35.5 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 27.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 23.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 22.4 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 20.0 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 19.3 |
Mitsubishi L200 MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,591 | 14.4% | 12.8% | 51,600 |
| 2020 | 4,630 | 15.6% | 14.1% | 57,000 |
| 2019 | 8,561 | 18.0% | 16.5% | 65,900 |
| 2018 | 7,692 | 20.3% | 19.1% | 73,700 |
| 2017 | 7,901 | 21.5% | 21.8% | 81,600 |
| 2016 | 6,455 | 24.3% | 25.1% | 89,000 |
| 2015 | 6,325 | 32.9% | 28.1% | 92,800 |
| 2014 | 4,452 | 36.5% | 31.4% | 96,900 |
| 2013 | 3,483 | 39.9% | 34.3% | 105,400 |
| 2012 | 2,652 | 42.1% | 36.6% | 112,800 |
| 2011 | 3,691 | 44.4% | 38.8% | 123,900 |
| 2010 | 3,226 | 45.7% | 40.7% | 129,000 |
| 2009 | 2,090 | 47.1% | 41.8% | 130,600 |
| 2008 | 2,224 | 46.0% | 42.9% | 135,400 |
| 2007 | 3,356 | 46.1% | 42.7% | 133,600 |
| 2006 | 4,037 | 44.8% | 43.0% | 136,400 |
| 2005 | 2,388 | 43.0% | 42.4% | 124,100 |
Advisories to look for in a Mitsubishi L200's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Mitsubishi L200, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material368.3
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge220.3
- Brake pads: wearing thin80.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened65.9
- Chassis condition: is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced61.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing60.6
Checking a used Mitsubishi L200 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Mitsubishi L200 fails more often than average on lights and electrics, brakes and suspension. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Mitsubishi L200 MOT questions
What is the Mitsubishi L200 MOT failure rate?
30.6% of Mitsubishi L200 pickups failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 75,754 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 28.1% of the time, so the Mitsubishi L200 was 9% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Mitsubishi L200 MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 274 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded", recorded 72.1 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Mitsubishi L200 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2016 registrations did best: 24.3% failed against an average of 25.1% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Mitsubishi L200 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Mitsubishi L200 tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Mitsubishi models
- Mitsubishi Outlander23.7% failed
- Mitsubishi ASX25.5% failed
Ranked close to the Mitsubishi L200
- Peugeot Boxerrank 2
- Volkswagen Transporterrank 3
- Volkswagen Caddyrank 4
- Mercedes-Benz Vitorank 6
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Mitsubishi L200 pickups of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.