How reliable is the Mitsubishi Lancer compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Mitsubishi Lancer, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 67.4% across 8,750 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Mitsubishi Lancer?

The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 19.4% of failed Mitsubishi Lancer 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 Mitsubishi Lancer?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 21.4% of all Mitsubishi Lancer tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Mitsubishi Lancer usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 92,915 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.

Which Mitsubishi Lancer years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Mitsubishi Lancer cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 92.2%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 67.8%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Mitsubishi Lancer get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 92.2% of Mitsubishi Lancer tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Mitsubishi Lancer models petrol or diesel?

Of the Mitsubishi Lancer cars tested, 81% are petrol, 19% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Mitsubishi Lancer MOT pass rate & common failures

From 8,750 recorded MOT tests of the Mitsubishi Lancer, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 8,750 MOT tests, 67.4% of Mitsubishi Lancer tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Mitsubishi Lancer fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play, which appears in 19.4% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 92,915 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

67.4%unadjusted, not comparable8,750 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Lancer. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 8,750 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play19.4%
451 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning18.2%
423 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded13.5%
314 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.1%
259 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.5%
222 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
6.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired8.6%
200 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.6%
200 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements8.5%
198 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.3%
194 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.Exhaust system leaking or insecure7.9%
183 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded21.4%
1,869 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.3%
1,604 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded13.6%
1,187 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured12.0%
1,052 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged10.2%
890 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded8.6%
753 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.6%
749 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.2%
634 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Mitsubishi Lancer

The 14 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Mitsubishi Lancer common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Lancer, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Lancer common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Lancer pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Mitsubishi Lancer passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201992%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201689%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201359%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier68%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Lancer outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Lancer fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 92,915
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol80.8%
Diesel19.2%

Trim names grouped into this model (11)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

LANCER EVO
LANCER EVO 3
LANCER EVO 6 RS
LANCER EVO 9
LANCER EVO 9 GT
LANCER EVO 9 MR
LANCER EVOLUTION
LANCER EVOLUTION 6
LANCER EVOLUTION 7 RS
LANCER EVOLUTION 8 MR
LANCER EVOLUTION VIII GSR ( 260 )

Check a specific Mitsubishi Lancer

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Mitsubishi models

Mitsubishi L200 — 72.0% adjusted
Mitsubishi Outlander — 73.8% adjusted
Mitsubishi Asx — 75.0% adjusted
Mitsubishi Shogun — 75.4% adjusted
Mitsubishi Colt — 54.1% unadjusted
Mitsubishi Mirage — 77.3% adjusted
All Mitsubishi models

Common questions

How reliable is the Mitsubishi Lancer compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Mitsubishi Lancer, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 67.4% across 8,750 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Mitsubishi Lancer?: The item recorded most often is "A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play", which appears in 19.4% of failed Mitsubishi Lancer 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 Mitsubishi Lancer?: The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 21.4% of all Mitsubishi Lancer tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Mitsubishi Lancer usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 92,915 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.
Which Mitsubishi Lancer years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Mitsubishi Lancer cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 92.2%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 67.8%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Mitsubishi Lancer get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 92.2% of Mitsubishi Lancer tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Mitsubishi Lancer models petrol or diesel?: Of the Mitsubishi Lancer cars tested, 81% are petrol, 19% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

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.