Subaru Legacy MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

We are not publishing a ranking for the Legacy. 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 4,642 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1. 1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning19.5%

   261 occurrencesLamp not working explained

2. 2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn12.2%

   163 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

3. 3.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.0%

   134 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained

4. 4.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.7%

   130 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained

5. 5.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements9.7%

   130 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

6. 6.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction9.5%

   127 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained

7. 7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.5%

   127 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

8. 8.Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer9.0%

   120 occurrencesEmissions above the permitted limit explained

9. 9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.5%

   114 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

10. 10.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 repaired8.2%

    110 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Subaru Legacy 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.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn30.2%

   1,400 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

2. 2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements21.9%

   1,016 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

3. 3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded14.5%

   671 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

4. 4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured13.7%

   636 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

5. 5.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded12.1%

   562 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

6. 6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.1%

   561 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

7. 7.A tyre seriously damaged10.5%

   489 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

8. 8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.2%

   425 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 Legacy fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

112,809

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

Fuel mix of tested cars

Petrol85.1%

Diesel14.6%

Compare within the range

Other Subaru models

• Subaru Impreza — 78.5% adjusted
• Subaru Forester — 75.1% adjusted
• Subaru Outback — 77.2% adjusted
• Subaru XV — 78.6% adjusted
• Subaru Wrx — 89.0% unadjusted
• Subaru Brz — 83.8% unadjusted
• All Subaru models →

Common questions

How reliable is the Subaru Legacy compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Subaru Legacy, 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 64.3% across 4,642 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 Subaru Legacy?

The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 19.5% of failed Subaru Legacy 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 Subaru Legacy?

The most common advisory is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", noted on 30.2% of all Subaru Legacy tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Subaru Legacy usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 112,809 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 Subaru Legacy get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 78.6% of Subaru Legacy tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 63.6%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Subaru Legacy models petrol or diesel?

Of the Subaru Legacy cars tested, 85% are petrol, 15% 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.

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 Subaru