Mitsubishi L200 Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Mitsubishi L200 passes its MOT first time on 66.4% of tests, about the same as a typical car of the same age and mileage (66.6%). That puts it ahead of 49% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2016 L200 does best (beats 69% of cars) and the 2014 worst (beats 31%).

Of its engines, the 2.3 Diesel does best (beats 68%) and the 2.5 Diesel worst (beats 45%).

Better than average on tyres.

Watch these weak spots

Lights & electrics1.3×as often as a typical car

Body & structure1.6×as often as a typical car

Rear fog light7.9×as often as a typical car

Brake pipes3.8×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Mitsubishi L200Typical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 38%

Beats 31%

Beats 51%

Beats 51%

Beats 56%

Beats 53%

Beats 57%

Beats 57%

Beats 57%

Beats 49%

Beats 47%

Beats 40%

Beats 34%

Beats 43%

Beats 37%

Beats 47%

Beats 43%

Beats 31%

Beats 34%

Beats 69%

Beats 65%

Beats 59%

Beats 61%

Beats 62%

Beats 65%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	1997–2016	509,432	58.9%	Beats 45%	C
2.4 Diesel	2015–2020	210,891	81.5%	Beats 65%	B
2.3 Diesel	2019–2021	32,291	85.6%	Beats 68%	B

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Lights: 18.9% of tests fail on lights & electrics, against 14.6% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Walk round the car with every light on, including brake, fog and number plate lights.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

18.9% vs 14.6%

Suspension

11.4% vs 11.1%

Brakes

10.9% vs 8.8%

Body & structure

7.1% vs 4.5%

Visibility

6.0% vs 5.6%

Emissions & leaks

3.6% vs 4.1%

Tyres

3.3% vs 7.4%

Steering

2.6% vs 2.4%

Seat belts & airbags

1.8% vs 1.5%

Wheels

0.5% vs 0.5%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Sidelights 1.8× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Shock absorbers 2.0× typical
Push down hard on each corner: it should rebound once and settle. Look for oily dampers.
Suspension ball joints 1.4× typical
Listen for knocks over speed bumps and feel for wandering or vague steering.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Windscreen wipers
Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.
Brake pads
Ask when the pads were last replaced and look for a brake-wear warning on the dash.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Mitsubishi L200Typical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Sidelights	6.5%	3.6%	1.8×
Rear fog light	5.6%	0.7%	7.9×
Brake pipes	4.5%	1.2%	3.8×
Headlight aim	3.5%	4.0%	0.9×
Windscreen wipers	3.3%	2.5%	1.3×
Brake lights	3.0%	2.7%	1.1×
Drive shaft (CV) joints	2.7%	1.7%	1.6×
Shock absorbers	2.6%	1.3%	2.0×
Suspension ball joints	2.5%	1.8%	1.4×
Windscreen washers	2.3%	2.5%	0.9×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	51.1
An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	50.1
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	49.7
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded	42.4
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	34.5
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	33.0
A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	28.0
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen	23.1

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2021 Mitsubishi L2001 engine85.8% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.3 Diesel	7,636	85.8%	Beats 65%	B

2020 Mitsubishi L2002 engines84.8% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.3 Diesel	16,936	84.9%	Beats 63%	B
2.4 Diesel	1,207	83.6%	Beats 51%	C

2019 Mitsubishi L2002 engines83.2% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.4 Diesel	35,842	82.5%	Beats 56%	C
2.3 Diesel	7,719	86.9%	Beats 83%	A

2018 Mitsubishi L2001 engine81.9% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.4 Diesel	47,048	81.9%	Beats 59%	C

2017 Mitsubishi L2001 engine81.6% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.4 Diesel	56,320	81.6%	Beats 65%	B

2016 Mitsubishi L2002 engines80.7% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.4 Diesel	50,305	81.2%	Beats 73%	B
2.5 Diesel	3,252	72.3%	Beats 11%	E

2015 Mitsubishi L2002 engines73.6% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	40,562	70.9%	Beats 18%	E
2.4 Diesel	20,169	79.1%	Beats 69%	B

2014 Mitsubishi L2001 engine69.5% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	44,095	69.5%	Beats 31%	D

2013 Mitsubishi L2001 engine67.6% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	35,943	67.6%	Beats 43%	C

2012 Mitsubishi L2001 engine65.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	28,486	65.0%	Beats 47%	C

2011 Mitsubishi L2001 engine59.5% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	39,390	59.5%	Beats 37%	D

2010 Mitsubishi L2001 engine57.9% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	35,913	57.9%	Beats 43%	C

2009 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.9% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	25,306	53.9%	Beats 34%	D

2008 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	28,585	53.0%	Beats 40%	C

2007 Mitsubishi L2001 engine54.0% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	45,313	54.0%	Beats 47%	C

2006 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	58,679	53.2%	Beats 49%	C

2005 Mitsubishi L2001 engine54.5% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	38,489	54.5%	Beats 57%	C

2004 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	31,331	53.8%	Beats 57%	C

2003 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.3% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	24,915	53.3%	Beats 57%	C

2002 Mitsubishi L2001 engine52.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	13,143	52.2%	Beats 53%	C

2001 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	7,057	53.7%	Beats 56%	C

2000 Mitsubishi L2001 engine53.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	3,849	53.2%	Beats 51%	C

1999 Mitsubishi L2001 engine54.8% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	2,210	54.8%	Beats 51%	C

1998 Mitsubishi L2001 engine51.7% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	1,599	51.7%	Beats 31%	D

1997 Mitsubishi L2001 engine56.0% passD

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.5 Diesel	1,315	56.0%	Beats 38%	D

FAQ

What is the Mitsubishi L200 MOT pass rate?

66.4% of MOT tests on the Mitsubishi L200 were passed first time, based on 752,614 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 1997–2021. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 66.6% of the time.

Is the Mitsubishi L200 reliable?

On MOT results it rates C (average): it passes first time less often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 49% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Mitsubishi L200 year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2016 L200 does best for its age and mileage: it beats 69% of cars on UK roads. The 2014 does worst: it beats 31%.

Which Mitsubishi L200 engine is best?

Across all years, the 2.3 Diesel does best: it beats 68% of cars on UK roads. The 2.5 Diesel does worst: it beats 45%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Mitsubishi L200?

The most common failure items are sidelights, rear fog light, brake pipes. Compared with similar cars, rear fog light comes up 7.9× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Mitsubishi L200 reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ