11,921 cars · 21,127 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) 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 second-generation Impreza with a 2.0 or 2.5 engine, turbo or not, imported or sold new in the UK.
26%
failed their first MOT test
39% lower than the UK average for their age
20 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
46%
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.
- 15–19 years10,622 tests26%vs 43%
- 20–24 years10,505 tests25%vs 42%
Most common advisories on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007)
Things the tester noticed that weren’t bad enough to fail. Share of initial tests, against all UK cars.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge8.9%vs 16%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened7.3%vs 8.9%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material7.2%vs 3.8%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened4.9%vs 2.3%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing4.9%vs 8.8%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases4.8%vs 2.0%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive4.8%vs 4.9%
- Brake pads (brake linings and pads): wearing thin4.3%vs 7.6%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive3.4%
- Pins and bushes (anti-roll bars): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement3.0%
Most common MOT failures on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007)
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 strength4.0%
- Position lamp: not working3.2%vs 2.5%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits3.0%
- Malfunction indicator lamp (spark ignition): inoperative or indicates a malfunction2.8%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits2.3%
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect2.0%vs 1.3%
- Joints (drive shafts): constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt1.7%vs 1.4%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases1.3%
- Stop lamp: not working1.3%vs 1.9%
- Emissions not tested (spark ignition): unable to be completed1.3%
By part of the car
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12%vs 11%
- Suspension10%vs 8.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks9.0%vs 3.1%
- Brakes5.2%vs 6.5%
- Body, chassis, structure5.1%vs 3.4%
- Visibility3.4%vs 4.5%
- Tyres2.4%vs 6.3%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.8%vs 1.0%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 7,034 advisories on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 30% 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 leaks294 advisories49%
- Registration plates163 advisories47%
- Rigid brake pipes515 advisories47%
- Component mounting prescribed areas220 advisories43%
- Exhaust system468 advisories43%
- Sub-frame294 advisories42%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms)178 advisories40%
- Brake discs567 advisories38%
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 8,919 cars tested before October 2024, 20.1% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 98 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 strength49%
- Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened21%
- Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded18%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits16%
- Brake performance not tested (brake performance): unable to be tested15%
- Position lamp: not working14%
- Prescribed areas (seat belts): prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced13%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits13%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- Blue49%vs 16%
- Black16%vs 19%
- Silver16%vs 14%
- Grey10%vs 17%
- White4.5%vs 19%
- Red3.4%vs 10%
Checking a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007)?
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 STI GD (GDB)
Questions
- How often does a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) fail its MOT?
- 26% of first MOT tests on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) failed in 2024 and 2025, from 21,127 tests. That’s 39% lower than the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007)?
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge, on 8.9% of tests.
- What does a Subaru Impreza 2.0 and 2.5 (2001 to 2007) most often fail its MOT on?
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 4.0% 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.