3,506 cars · 6,443 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) 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 third-generation Impreza or WRX with a 2.0 or 2.5 engine, turbo or not, imported or sold new in the UK.
22%
failed their first MOT test
42% lower than the UK average for their age
14.9 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
44%
of tests had at least one advisory
All cars: 52%
15%
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.
- 5–9 years231 tests11%vs 22%
- 10–14 years3,150 tests20%vs 35%
- 15–19 years3,062 tests25%vs 43%
Most common advisories on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014)
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 edge10%vs 16%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement9.9%vs 5.3%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened6.9%vs 8.9%
- Brake pads (brake linings and pads): wearing thin5.1%vs 7.6%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing5.1%vs 8.8%
- Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened4.9%vs 2.3%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases4.8%vs 2.0%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material3.9%vs 3.8%
- Pins and bushes (anti-roll bars): pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement3.9%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive2.7%vs 4.9%
Most common MOT failures on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014)
Share of initial tests that failed on each item, including faults fixed during the test.
- Position lamp: not working3.6%vs 2.5%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits3.1%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits2.2%
- Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases1.6%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits1.3%
- Headlamp aim: too low1.3%vs 1.1%
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps1.2%
- Malfunction indicator lamp (spark ignition): inoperative or indicates a malfunction1.2%
- Emissions not tested (spark ignition): unable to be completed1.2%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms): pin or bush excessively worn1.1%vs 1.2%
By part of the car
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment9.2%vs 11%
- Noise, emissions and leaks8.2%vs 3.1%
- Suspension6.6%vs 8.8%
- Brakes4.1%vs 6.5%
- Visibility3.1%vs 4.5%
- Body, chassis, structure2.9%vs 3.4%
- Tyres2.8%vs 6.3%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems0.6%vs 1.0%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 2,242 advisories on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 27% were flagged again and 3.1% had turned into a failure (all cars: 29% and 5.1%). The items most often still there:
- Coil spring41 advisories56%
- Suspension arm32 advisories53%
- Rigid brake pipes77 advisories49%
- Pins and bushes (suspension arms)240 advisories44%
- Registration plates34 advisories44%
- Exhaust system150 advisories39%
- Sub-frame110 advisories39%
- Component mounting prescribed areas27 advisories37%
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 2,709 cars tested before October 2024, 15.1% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 9 of them (0.3%) 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.
- Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014)2,709 cars15%
- Japanese imports72,369 cars10%
- All cars (sample)1,360,703 cars7.2%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- Blue31%vs 16%
- Grey18%vs 17%
- White16%vs 19%
- Silver14%vs 14%
- Black13%vs 19%
- Red6.8%vs 10%
Checking a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014)?
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 GR (GRB)
Questions
- How often does a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) fail its MOT?
- 22% of first MOT tests on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) failed in 2024 and 2025, from 6,443 tests. That’s 42% lower than the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014)?
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge, on 10% of tests.
- What does a Subaru Impreza and WRX 2.0 and 2.5 (2008 to 2014) most often fail its MOT on?
- Position lamp: not working, on 3.6% 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.