2025 MOT results
Subaru Forester common problems
The most common reason a Subaru Forester fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 12.0% of its 4,511 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a split joint boot at 4.7% of failures against 2.1% expected; structural corrosion at 6.4% of failures against 2.9% expected; worn suspension bushes at 10.4% of failures against 4.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 15,395 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 29.3% 4,511 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.3% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 55.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Subaru Forester MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Subaru Forester tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 12.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 10.4% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.2% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 7.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 7.4% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.0% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 6.4% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.7% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.4% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.8% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 4.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
12.0% of failures 9.6% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Worn suspension bushes
10.4% of failures 4.8% expected 2.2 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Engine management light on
9.6% of failures 5.7% expected 1.7 times as often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Brake light out
8.2% of failures 7.3% expected about as expected
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
7.7% of failures 5.4% expected somewhat more often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
7.4% of failures 6.5% expected about as expected
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Subaru Forester, on 47.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 35.0%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 47.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 41.0% |
| Brakes | 19.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 17.2% |
| Visibility | 16.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 13.1% |
| Tyres | 12.3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
55.5% of Subaru Forester tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Subaru Foresters, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 14.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 13.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.6% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.2% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 5.3% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 5.1% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.6% |
| Anti-roll bars: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 3.8% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 3.5% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 3.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Subaru Forester problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Subaru Forester?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 12.0% of failed Subaru Forester tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 47.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Subaru Forester fail its MOT?
29.3% of Subaru Forester tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 15,395 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 56 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Subaru Forester than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 4.7% of its failures against 2.1% for cars of the same age, and “Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength” appears on 6.4% of its failures against 2.9% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Subaru Forester aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 15,395 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.