Is the Porsche Panamera reliable?

On MOT evidence the Porsche Panamera is well above average. It passes 87.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Porsche Panamera?

The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 22.5% of failed Porsche Panamera 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 Porsche Panamera?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.6% of all Porsche Panamera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Porsche Panamera usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 66,558 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 Porsche Panamera years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Porsche Panamera cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 90.4%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 87.0%. 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 Porsche Panamera get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.4% of Porsche Panamera tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 87.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Porsche Panamera models petrol or diesel?

Of the Porsche Panamera cars tested, 36% are petrol, 32% are hybrid, 32% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Porsche Panamera MOT pass rate & common failures

From 7,466 recorded MOT tests of the Porsche Panamera, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Porsche Panamera passes 87.8% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average. Based on 7,466 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is tyre cords visible or damaged, which appears in 22.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 66,558 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

87.8%national average72.3%unadjusted88.3%range covered84%

The Panamera is 15.5 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 88.3%; 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 Porsche Panamera tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A tyre cords visible or damaged22.5%
173 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements19.8%
152 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged18.6%
143 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened12.8%
98 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen6.0%
46 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged5.9%
45 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction5.6%
43 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
8.A tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative5.1%
39 occurrencesTyre pressure monitoring system inoperative explained
9.A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud4.4%
34 occurrencesWheel nut, bolt or stud missing, loose or damaged explained
10.Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements3.8%
29 occurrencesRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements24.6%
1,837 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.9%
517 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured5.6%
416 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged3.7%
274 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements3.3%
250 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged2.9%
217 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Nail in tyre2.3%
170 tests
8.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded2.1%
158 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Porsche Panamera

The 20 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.

How wear changes the picture

Panamera pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Porsche Panamera passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202290%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201991%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201686%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201386%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier87%

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 Panamera 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 Panamera fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 66,558
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol36.3%
Hybrid32.1%
Diesel31.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (29)

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

PANAMERA 4
PANAMERA 4 10 YEARS ED PHEV SA
PANAMERA 4 10 YEARS EDITION SA
PANAMERA 4 EHYB PLATINUM ED SA
PANAMERA 4 S-A
PANAMERA 4S
PANAMERA 4S 5DOOR
PANAMERA 4S E-HYBRID S-A
PANAMERA 4S EHYB SPT TOUR SA
PANAMERA 4S S-A
PANAMERA D V6
PANAMERA D V6 TIPTRONIC
PANAMERA D V6 TIPTRONIC AUTO
PANAMERA GTS
PANAMERA GTS S-A
PANAMERA GTS V8 S-A
PANAMERA PLATINUM ED D V6 A
PANAMERA PLATINUM EDITION 4 SA
PANAMERA S
PANAMERA S E-HYBRID TIPTRONIC
PANAMERA S HYBRID TIPTRONIC S
PANAMERA S S-A
PANAMERA TURBO
PANAMERA TURBO S
PANAMERA TURBO S S-A
PANAMERA TURBO S SPT TURSMO SA
PANAMERA TURBO S-A
PANAMERA V6 4 S-A
PANAMERA V6 S-A

Check a specific Porsche Panamera

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

Compare within the range

Other Porsche models

Porsche 911 — 89.5% adjusted
Porsche Macan — 89.5% adjusted
Porsche Boxster — 85.7% adjusted
Porsche Cayenne — 85.3% adjusted
Porsche Cayman — 87.2% adjusted
Porsche Taycan — 91.0% unadjusted
All Porsche models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Subaru Outback — 77.2% adjusted, ranked 84
Kia Proceed — 68.1% adjusted, ranked 194
Audi S3 — 82.3% adjusted, ranked 36
Fiat Scudo — 58.3% adjusted, ranked 260

Common questions

Is the Porsche Panamera reliable?: On MOT evidence the Porsche Panamera is well above average. It passes 87.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% 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 Porsche Panamera?: The item recorded most often is "A tyre cords visible or damaged", which appears in 22.5% of failed Porsche Panamera 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 Porsche Panamera?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 24.6% of all Porsche Panamera tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Porsche Panamera usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 66,558 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 Porsche Panamera years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Porsche Panamera cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 90.4%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 87.0%. 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 Porsche Panamera get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 90.4% of Porsche Panamera tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 87.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Porsche Panamera models petrol or diesel?: Of the Porsche Panamera cars tested, 36% are petrol, 32% are hybrid, 32% 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. 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.