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MOT data by first-use year

2005 Mitsubishi Lancer: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 3,524 MOT tests · Updated

31.3% of 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer cars failed their MOT at 18 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2006 cars (1,322 MOT tests) [1].

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  • −10.0 to −11.2 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 17 to 19 years, 3,524 MOT tests
  • At 19 years (tested 2024): 31.8% failed, against 43.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 19 years in 2024, 1,054 MOT tests
  • At 18 years (tested 2023): 31.3% failed, against 43.3% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2023, 1,148 MOT tests

Engine, fuel and mileage decide where one vehicle sits within these figures. Check the reg first.

Figures are for 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 18 years (2023)
31.3%
vs 43.3% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2023
1,148 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
−11.0 pts
over ages 17–19: −12.0 to −10.0 pts
3,524 MOT tests
Against the 2006 cars
−3.3 pts
95% range −7.1 to +0.5 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
1,322 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2005 cars
3,524
tested 2022–2024, 3 ages with 1,000+ tests
3,524 MOT tests

About the same as the 2006 cars: −3.3 points at age 17, each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −7.1 to +0.5, from 1,322 MOT tests of 2005 cars and 1,128 of the 2006 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Mitsubishi Lancer year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Mitsubishi Lancer first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Mitsubishi Lancer as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2005: −11.0 pts. 2005: −11.0 pts (−12.6 to −9.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–19, 3,524 MOT tests2005−11.02006: −5.8 pts (−7.7 to −3.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 16–17, 2,393 MOT tests20062007: −6.3 pts (−9.1 to −3.4) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 15, 1,092 MOT tests20072008: −6.4 pts (−7.6 to −5.2) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 14–17, 6,117 MOT tests20082009: −2.8 pts (−4.4 to −1.3) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 13–15, 3,842 MOT tests20092010: +1.4 pts (+0.3 to +2.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 12–15, 6,994 MOT tests20102011: +3.1 pts (+1.8 to +4.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 11–14, 5,109 MOT tests2011 −12.60+12.6 pts
Percentage points above (right) or below (left) all class 4 vehicles the same age, tested in the same year, 2022 to 2025, each year averaged over the ages it was tested at. Lines show the 95% range.

2005 Mitsubishi Lancer fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2024, as these cars went from 17 to 19 years old, the fail rate went from 33.9% to 31.8%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −10.0 to −11.2 points. The widest gap was at 18 years (−12.0 points, 1,148 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202217 years33.9%31.4%–36.5%1,32243.9%−10.0 pts
202318 years31.3%28.7%–34.0%1,14843.3%−12.0 pts
202419 years*31.8%29.0%–34.7%1,05443.0%−11.2 pts

* Above 18 years only survivors are still tested, so these rows say less about the vehicle when new and do not count towards the verdict.

All class 4: every class 4 vehicle (cars and light vans) tested at that age in the same test year.

2005 against the 2006 cars, age by age

Age2005Years either side
17 years33.9% 1,322 MOT tests, tested 20222006: 36.7% (1,128, tested 2023)

Each year was tested in a different calendar year; the verdict compares each against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year.

What fails on a Mitsubishi Lancer at 18 years

All Mitsubishi Lancer MOTs at 18 years, cars first used 2004–2007 (3,298 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: side/position light not working (4.2 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), steering track rod end: ball joint play (4.2 per 100 MOT tests) and brake light not working (4.0 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

No item fails at a clearly different rate from all class 4 vehicles the same age across 3 or more ages.

Road tax for a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 11 petrol versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer in its data from May 2004 to May 2006, from 163 to 258 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is 4 bands from G to K: from £275 to £445 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2005 Mitsubishi Lancer: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmVersions listed
G£2751632
H£3251662
J£410191–1954
K£445207–2583

Versions listed, not cars sold: this does not say how common each band is. The CO2 figure on the car's V5C log book decides its band. Car tax calculator for a 2005 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2005 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2005 was issued a 54 (January–February), 05 (March–August) or 55 (September–December) plate, unless it was registered in Northern Ireland (no age identifier) or has since moved to a private plate. An imported one is plated when first registered here, so its plate can be newer than its first-use year. 05 plates

A 2005 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2005 petrol may or may not meet Euro 4, and a 2005 diesel usually does not meet Euro 6. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [4] ULEZ checker

Buying a Mitsubishi Lancer? Check that exact car before the viewing.

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

Other Mitsubishi Lancer years

  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
  • 2009
  • 2010
  • 2011

Every Mitsubishi Lancer first-use year

Other Mitsubishi models first used in 2005

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer?

31.3% at 18 years (tested 2023), from 1,148 MOT tests, against 43.3% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 18 years in 2023.

Does the 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer fail more MOTs than the 2006?

3.3 percentage points apart at age 17, each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 1,322 MOT tests (95% range −7.1 to +0.5), so about the same.

At what ages were 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer cars MOT tested in the data?

3 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 17–19 years, tested 2022–2024, 3,524 MOT tests in all. Ages over 18 are shown but not used for the verdict.

What fails most on a Mitsubishi Lancer at 18 years?

4.2 in 100 MOT tests failed on side/position light not working, the most common fail item (a wear item); the most common non-wear item was steering track rod end: ball joint play (4.2 in 100). From 3,298 MOT tests of Mitsubishi Lancer cars first used 2004–2007, not only 2005.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 3,524 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. GOV.UK, Vehicle tax rates. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.
  3. Vehicle Certification Agency, Car fuel and emissions data. VCA data, Open Government Licence v3.0.
  4. Transport for London, Ultra Low Emission Zone. Rules, not drawn from the MOT data.

Cars tested at 18 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 18 years in the same test year. These rates are not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare