Isuzu D-Max MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The D-Max is 0.0 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 70.9%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Isuzu D-Max tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A shock absorber bush excessively worn21.7%

   1,911 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained

2. 2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded15.9%

   1,398 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained

3. 3.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning15.1%

   1,329 occurrencesLamp not working explained

4. 4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn13.2%

   1,161 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

5. 5.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.4%

   1,001 occurrencesLamp not working explained

6. 6.Exhaust system leaking or insecure11.2%

   988 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained

7. 7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen10.6%

   928 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

8. 8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.3%

   906 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

9. 9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.8%

   861 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

10. 10.A wheel bearing with excessive play9.6%

    843 occurrencesWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Isuzu D-Max tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements22.6%

   8,321 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

2. 2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded19.7%

   7,244 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

3. 3.A wheel bearing with excessive play17.4%

   6,417 testsWheel bearing has excessive play or is rough explained

4. 4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured7.1%

   2,598 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

5. 5.A shock absorber bush excessively worn6.7%

   2,468 testsShock absorber defective explained

6. 6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.5%

   2,384 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

7. 7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.0%

   2,199 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

8. 8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn4.9%

   1,800 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The D-Max fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

81,117

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel100.0%

Compare within the range

Other Isuzu models

• Isuzu Rodeo — 55.1% unadjusted
• Isuzu Trooper — 62.4% unadjusted
• Isuzu TF — 52.7% unadjusted
• All Isuzu models →

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

• Volkswagen Touareg — 79.4% adjusted, ranked 60
• Fiat 500X — 75.2% adjusted, ranked 108
• Peugeot 5008 — 64.0% adjusted, ranked 228
• Kia Sorento — 72.2% adjusted, ranked 146

Common questions

Is the Isuzu D-Max reliable?

On MOT evidence the Isuzu D-Max is about average. It passes 72.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 78% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Isuzu D-Max?

The item recorded most often is "A shock absorber bush excessively worn", which appears in 21.7% of failed Isuzu D-Max tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Isuzu D-Max?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 22.6% of all Isuzu D-Max tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Isuzu D-Max usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 81,117 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Isuzu D-Max get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.7% of Isuzu D-Max tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 60.2%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Isuzu