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2016 Subaru Forester: MOT fail rate and common problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 4,960 MOT tests · Updated

25.9% of 2016 Subaru Forester cars failed their MOT at 9 years; measured against vehicles the same age and test year, about the same as the 2015 cars (3,702 MOT tests) [1].

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  • −1.8 to +0.9 points: the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 6 to 9 years, 4,960 MOT tests
  • Coil spring broken: fails 2.0–2.5× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age at 9 years, 4,410 MOT tests of Subaru Forester cars first used 2013–2016
  • 60,000 to 90,000 miles: 27.5% of Subaru Forester cars first used 2013–2016 failed at 9 years, against 18.7% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles, 2,882 MOT tests

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

Figures are for 2016 Subaru Forester cars as a group, not for one car.

Fail rate at 9 years (2025)
25.9%
vs 25.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 9 years in 2025
1,219 MOT tests
Gap to all class 4, same age and year
−0.2 pts
over ages 6–9: −1.8 to +1.0 pts
4,960 MOT tests
Against the 2015 cars
+0.3 pts
95% range −3.1 to +3.7 pts, same ages, each against its own test year
3,702 MOT tests
MOT tests of 2016 cars
4,960
tested 2022–2025, 4 ages with 1,000+ tests
4,960 MOT tests

About the same as the 2015 cars: +0.3 points at the same ages (7–9), each year against all class 4 vehicles the same age tested in its own year; 95% range −3.1 to +3.7, from 3,702 MOT tests of 2016 cars and 3,507 of the 2015 cars. Not adjusted for mileage.

Every Subaru Forester year against all class 4 vehicles the same age

Subaru Forester first-use years against all class 4 vehicles the same ageEach first-use year of the Subaru Forester as percentage points above or below all class 4 vehicles the same age, averaged over the ages it was tested at, with 95% intervals. 2016: −0.2 pts. 2004: −6.1 pts (−9.1 to −3.1) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 18, 1,039 MOT tests20042005: −5.5 pts (−7.5 to −3.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 17–18, 2,471 MOT tests20052006: −1.0 pts (−3.1 to +1.1) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 16–17, 2,152 MOT tests20062014: −1.9 pts (−3.1 to −0.6) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 8–11, 4,639 MOT tests20142015: −0.3 pts (−1.5 to +1.0) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 7–10, 4,644 MOT tests20152016: −0.2 pts (−1.4 to +0.9) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 6–9, 4,960 MOT tests2016−0.22019: −4.9 pts (−5.7 to −4.0) against all class 4 vehicles the same age, ages 3–6, 4,467 MOT tests2019 −9.10+9.1 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.

2016 Subaru Forester fail rate at each MOT

From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 6 to 9 years old, the fail rate went from 17.2% to 25.9%, and the gap to all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year from −1.8 to +0.9 points. The widest gap was at 6 years (−1.8 points, 1,258 MOT tests).

Test yearAgeFail rate95% rangeMOT testsAll class 4, same age and yearGap
20226 years17.2%15.3%–19.4%1,25819.0%−1.8 pts
20237 years21.4%19.2%–23.7%1,24921.3%+0.1 pts
20248 years23.1%20.8%–25.5%1,23423.2%−0.1 pts
20259 years25.9%23.5%–28.5%1,21925.0%+0.9 pts

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

2016 against the 2015 cars, age by age

Age2016Years either side
7 years21.4% 1,249 MOT tests, tested 20232015: 21.1% (1,181, tested 2022)
8 years23.1% 1,234 MOT tests, tested 20242015: 25.0% (1,179, tested 2023)
9 years25.9% 1,219 MOT tests, tested 20252015: 26.9% (1,147, 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 Subaru Forester at 9 years

All Subaru Forester MOTs at 9 years, cars first used 2013–2016 (4,410 MOT tests; DVSA item counts are not split by first-use year). The most common fail items: coil spring broken (6.1 per 100 MOT tests), suspension arm bush worn (5.8 per 100 MOT tests) and brake pads under 1.5 mm (2.3 per 100 MOT tests, a wear item).

Coil spring broken: fails 2.0–2.5× as often as all class 4 vehicles the same age, across at least 3 ages.

Mileage and the fail rate at 9 years

Subaru Forester cars first used 2013–2016 at 60,000 to 90,000 miles failed 27.5% of MOTs at 9 years (1,649 MOT tests), against 18.7% at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (1,233 MOT tests). All class 4 vehicles: 29.4% and 23.0%.

Road tax for a 2016 Subaru Forester

The Vehicle Certification Agency lists 17 petrol and diesel versions of the Subaru Forester in its data from August 2014 to August 2015, from 148 to 197 g/km CO2 [3]. A car first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 is taxed by CO2 band, so that is bands F, G and J: from £225 to £410 a year at the 2026/27 rates [2].

2016 Subaru Forester: CO2 bands of the listed versions, 2026/27 rates
Band12 monthsCO2 g/kmPetrol versionsDiesel versions
F£225148–15044
G£275156–16025
J£41019720

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 2016 car

Car tax and ULEZ for a 2016 car

A car first registered in the UK in 2016 was issued a 65 (January–February), 16 (March–August) or 66 (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. 16 plates

A 2016 car is taxed by its CO2 emissions band (A to M), shown on the V5C logbook. [2]

For the London ULEZ, a 2016 petrol usually meets Euro 4, and a 2016 diesel usually meets Euro 6. The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. Hybrids follow the rule for their petrol or diesel engine. [4] ULEZ checker

Buying a Subaru Forester? 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 Subaru Forester years

  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2014
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2019

Every Subaru Forester first-use year

Questions people ask

What is the MOT fail rate of a 2016 Subaru Forester?

25.9% at 9 years (tested 2025), from 1,219 MOT tests, against 25.0% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 9 years in 2025.

Does the 2016 Subaru Forester fail more MOTs than the 2015?

0.3 percentage points apart at the same ages (7–9), each against all class 4 vehicles the same age and test year, from 3,702 MOT tests (95% range −3.1 to +3.7), so about the same.

At what ages were 2016 Subaru Forester cars MOT tested in the data?

4 ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests: 6–9 years, tested 2022–2025, 4,960 MOT tests in all.

What fails most on a Subaru Forester at 9 years?

6.1 in 100 MOT tests failed on coil spring broken, the most common fail item. From 4,410 MOT tests of Subaru Forester cars first used 2013–2016, not only 2016.

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 4,960 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 9 years are compared with every class 4 vehicle tested at 9 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