4,308 cars · 7,083 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025 found: how often they fail, what testers flag, which faults owners leave, and how many never came back after failing.
Every first-generation 2.0-litre Impreza, imported or sold new in the UK.
23%
failed their first MOT test
38% lower than the UK average for their age
25 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
42%
of tests had at least one advisory
All cars: 52%
25%
of tests mention corrosion
All cars: 12%
Failure rate by age
Share of initial tests that failed, by the car’s age at the test, against all UK cars of the same age.
- 20–24 years3,519 tests25%vs 42%
- 25–29 years3,408 tests22%vs 35%
- 30+ years156 tests15%vs 26%
Most common advisories on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001)
Things the tester noticed that weren’t bad enough to fail. Share of initial tests, against all UK cars.
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material7.7%vs 3.8%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive7.3%vs 4.9%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened6.5%vs 8.9%
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge5.5%vs 16%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened5.0%vs 2.3%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing5.0%vs 8.8%
- Coil spring: corroded3.9%vs 3.3%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases3.8%vs 2.0%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement3.7%vs 5.3%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive3.5%
Most common MOT failures on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001)
Share of initial tests that failed on each item, including faults fixed during the test.
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength4.1%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits3.7%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits2.5%
- Steering rack (steering gear): gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2.2%
- Position lamp: not working2.1%vs 2.5%
- Joints (drive shafts): constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1.7%vs 1.4%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits1.7%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits1.7%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1.5%vs 2.0%
- Stop lamp: not working1.4%vs 1.9%
By part of the car
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment9.9%vs 11%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8.9%vs 3.1%
- Suspension8.4%vs 8.8%
- Brakes5.3%vs 6.5%
- Body, chassis, structure5.0%vs 3.4%
- Visibility3.6%vs 4.5%
- Steering2.7%vs 2.0%
- Tyres1.6%vs 6.3%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 2,043 advisories on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 37% were flagged again and 3.6% had turned into a failure (all cars: 29% and 5.1%). The items most often still there:
- Engine oil leaks140 advisories56%
- Sub-frame98 advisories56%
- Rigid brake pipes175 advisories56%
- Suspension arm61 advisories56%
- Registration plates35 advisories54%
- Flexible brake hoses35 advisories49%
- Integral vehicle structure condition53 advisories47%
- Exhaust system121 advisories45%
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 3,019 cars tested before October 2024, 28.0% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 32 of them (1.1%) had failed that last test. MOT records don’t say why: most of these cars were scrapped, but some were exported, laid up or declared off the road.
What they failed on last
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength53%
- Prescribed areas (seat belts): prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced19%
- Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened16%
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded16%
- Steering rack (steering gear): gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt16%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- Blue47%vs 16%
- Silver19%vs 14%
- White10%vs 19%
- Green8.1%vs 1.7%
- Red7.6%vs 10%
- Black4.5%vs 19%
Checking a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001)?
Our free check reads its full MOT history and flags mileage that doesn’t add up, advisories that keep coming back, and recalls filed in Japan.
Buying guide: Subaru Impreza WRX GC (GC8)
Questions
- How often does a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) fail its MOT?
- 23% of first MOT tests on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) failed in 2024 and 2025, from 7,083 tests. That’s 38% lower than the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001)?
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material, on 7.7% of tests.
- What does a Subaru Impreza 2.0 (1993 to 2001) most often fail its MOT on?
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 4.1% of tests.
More MOT statistics
How we worked these out
- Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT tests and results. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The analysis and any errors are ours, not DVSA’s.
- MOT records give the make, model name and engine size, not the chassis code, so models are grouped by name. A model page says when that grouping is looser than its title.
- Failure rates count initial tests only, and include faults fixed during the test (DVSA’s definition). Advisories are counted once per test.
- Ages run from the first-use date on the MOT record. For many imports that’s the date the car was first registered in the UK, not in Japan, so imports can look younger than they are, and the age comparison flatters them less than it should.
- An advisory counts as unfixed if the same part of the car is flagged again, or fails, at the next annual MOT (300 to 500 days later).
- A car “disappeared” if it had no MOT between 31 October 2024 and 30 December 2025, over a year after its last test. It’s an estimate of cars scrapped or taken off the road: some were exported, laid up, or made exempt at 40 years old.
- The figures for all cars and all Japanese-brand cars come from a random one-in-20 sample of vehicles; the model figures use every car.