Is the Subaru Outback reliable?

On MOT evidence the Subaru Outback is above average. It passes 77.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 84 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Subaru Outback?

The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 15.5% of failed Subaru Outback 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 Outback?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Subaru Outback tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 86,113 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 Outback get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.9% of Subaru Outback tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 57.9%. 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 Outback models petrol or diesel?

Of the Subaru Outback cars tested, 68% are petrol, 31% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Subaru Outback MOT pass rate & common failures

From 7,512 recorded MOT tests of the Subaru Outback, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Subaru Outback passes 77.2% 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 above average, ranking it 84 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 7,512 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, which appears in 15.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 86,113 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

77.2%national average72.3%unadjusted75.3%range covered90%rank84 of 262

The Outback is 4.9 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 75.3%; 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 Subaru Outback tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm15.5%
234 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
2.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning15.3%
232 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged11.4%
173 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.6%
145 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.5%
143 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.6%
130 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.1%
122 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
8.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements7.5%
114 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
9.Exhaust system leaking or insecure7.1%
108 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.9%
105 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Subaru Outback 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 requirements23.4%
1,757 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm15.2%
1,141 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.1%
1,134 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A tyre seriously damaged11.6%
868 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
5.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.1%
760 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.9%
516 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
7.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.2%
465 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.1%
385 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs87%

9–11 yrs78%

12–14 yrs65%

15+ yrs58%

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

What gets tested

The Outback fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 86,113
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol68.4%
Diesel31.5%

Trim names grouped into this model (16)

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

OUTBACK AWD
OUTBACK LIMITED SYM AWD CVT
OUTBACK R AUTO
OUTBACK R BOXER TD
OUTBACK R SYM-CAL AWD A
OUTBACK S
OUTBACK S BOXER D SYM-CAL AWD
OUTBACK SE
OUTBACK SE AUTO
OUTBACK SE BOXER D SYMAWD
OUTBACK SE NAV BOX SYMAWD
OUTBACK SE NAV BOXER D SYM AWD
OUTBACK SE NAV SYMAWD CVT
OUTBACK SE NAV+ BOX D SYM AWD
OUTBACK SE SYM-AL AWD CVT
OUTBACK TOURING SYM AWD CVT

Check a specific Subaru Outback

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

Compare within the range

Other Subaru models

Subaru Impreza — 78.5% adjusted
Subaru Forester — 75.1% adjusted
Subaru XV — 78.6% adjusted
Subaru Legacy — 64.3% unadjusted
Subaru Wrx — 89.0% unadjusted
Subaru Brz — 83.8% unadjusted
All Subaru models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Porsche Panamera — 87.8% adjusted, ranked 10
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 Subaru Outback reliable?: On MOT evidence the Subaru Outback is above average. It passes 77.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 84 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Subaru Outback?: The item recorded most often is "a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm", which appears in 15.5% of failed Subaru Outback 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 Outback?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.4% of all Subaru Outback tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Subaru Outback usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 86,113 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 Outback get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 88.9% of Subaru Outback tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 57.9%. 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 Outback models petrol or diesel?: Of the Subaru Outback cars tested, 68% are petrol, 31% 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.