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2010 Mitsubishi Lancer: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 6,994 MOT tests · Updated

38.6% of 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer cars failed their MOT at 15 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2009 and 2011 cars (6,994 MOT tests) [1].

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  • +2.3 to −1.8 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 12 to 15 years, 6,994 MOT tests
  • Steering track rod end: ball joint play: fails 2.7–3.3× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 15 years, 5,249 MOT tests of Mitsubishi Lancer cars first used 2007–2010
  • 90,000 to 120,000 miles: 41.7% of Mitsubishi Lancer cars first used 2007–2010 failed at 15 years, against 34.6% at 60,000 to 90,000 miles, 2,904 MOT tests

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

Figures are for 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 15 years (2025)
38.6%
vs 40.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 15 years in 2025
1,399 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
+1.4 pts
over ages 12–15: −1.8 to +3.6 pts
6,994 MOT tests
Against the 2009 and 2011 cars
+1.3 pts
95% range −2.0 to +4.5 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
6,994 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2010 cars
6,994
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
6,994 MOT tests

About the same as the 2009 and 2011 cars: +1.3 points at the same ages (12–15), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −2.0 to +4.5, from 6,994 MOT tests of 2010 cars and 7,480 of the 2009 and 2011 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. 2010: +1.4 pts. 2005: −11.0 pts (−12.6 to −9.5) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–19, 3,524 MOT tests20052006: −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 tests2010+1.42011: +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.

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 12 to 15 years old, the fail rate went from 40.3% to 38.6%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from +2.3 to −1.8 points. The widest gap was at 13 years (+3.7 points, 1,903 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
202212 years40.3%38.2%–42.5%2,04038.0%+2.3 pts
202313 years42.9%40.7%–45.1%1,90339.2%+3.7 pts
202414 years40.6%38.2%–42.9%1,65240.1%+0.5 pts
202515 years38.6%36.1%–41.2%1,39940.4%−1.8 pts

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

2010 against the 2009 and 2011 cars, age by age

Age2010Years either side
12 years40.3% 2,040 MOT tests, tested 20222011: 40.0% (1,375, tested 2023)
13 years42.9% 1,903 MOT tests, tested 20232009: 37.5% (1,402, tested 2022)
2011: 40.6% (1,208, tested 2024)
14 years40.6% 1,652 MOT tests, tested 20242009: 38.2% (1,303, tested 2023)
2011: 41.5% (1,055, tested 2025)
15 years38.6% 1,399 MOT tests, tested 20252009: 37.2% (1,137, tested 2024)

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 15 years

All Mitsubishi Lancer MOTs at 15 years, cars first used 2007–2010 (5,249 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: side/position light not working (7.0 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item), steering track rod end: ball joint play (5.7 per 100 MOT tests) and brake light not working (4.0 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

Steering track rod end: ball joint play: fails 2.7–3.3× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 15 years

Mitsubishi Lancer cars first used 2007–2010 at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed 41.7% of MOTs at 15 years (1,435 MOT tests), against 34.6% at 60,000 to 90,000 miles (1,469 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 45.1% and 40.5%.

Road tax for a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 22 petrol and diesel versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer in its May 2010 data, from 153 to 243 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is 6 bands from G to L: from £275 to £760 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmPetrol versionsDiesel versions
G£275153–16523
H£325169–17306
I£36018320
J£410188–19860
K£44520710
L£76024320

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 2010 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2010 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2010 was issued a 59 (January–February), 10 (March–August) or 60 (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. 10 plates

A 2010 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2010 petrol usually meets Euro 4, and a 2010 diesel usually does not meet Euro 6. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. [4] ULEZ checker

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Other Mitsubishi Lancer years

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

Every Mitsubishi Lancer first-use year

Other Mitsubishi models first used in 2010

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer?

38.6% at 15 years (tested 2025), from 1,399 MOT tests, against 40.4% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 15 years in 2025.

Does the 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer fail more MOTs than the 2009 and 2011?

1.3 percentage points apart at the same ages (12–15), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 6,994 MOT tests (95% range −2.0 to +4.5), so about the same.

At what ages were 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 12–15 years, tested 2022–2025, 6,994 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Mitsubishi Lancer at 15 years?

7.0 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 (5.7 in 100). From 5,249 MOT tests of Mitsubishi Lancer cars first used 2007–2010, not only 2010.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 6,994 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 15 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 15 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