Mitsubishi Shogun MOT pass rate & common failures
The Mitsubishi Shogun appears in 207,264 MOT tests spanning model years 1985–2021, and 76.6% of them passed. Large SUVs of a similar age fail 20.9% of the time, so this is 2.5pp worse than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Shogun years
Ranked across Shogun years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2021 (90.6% pass rate); the weakest is 2006 (71.1%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.3%) and suspension (11.3%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are component mounting prescribed areas, headlamp aim and rigid brake pipes — component mounting prescribed areas alone was recorded 12,487 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.0% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 28.3% once past 150k — 3.5× the risk.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 2.2pp more often than diesel ones (25.4% vs 23.2%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: suspension was flagged on 30.9% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 24.4% in 2021 to 22.1% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Shogun model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 36 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1988 | 93 | 78.5% | 21.5% | Brakes |
| 1989 | 94 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 128 | 73.4% | 26.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 173 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Suspension |
| 1992 | 161 | 70.2% | 29.8% | Brakes |
| 1993 | 329 | 80.5% | 19.4% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1994 | 506 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 976 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1996 | 1,312 | 76.4% | 23.5% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1997 | 1,824 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1998 | 2,783 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 2,157 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 2,071 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 3,597 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 7,152 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 12,270 | 72.1% | 27.9% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 23,770 | 71.9% | 28.1% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 25,046 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 21,038 | 71.1% | 28.9% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 16,287 | 72.6% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 6,750 | 72.8% | 27.2% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 4,467 | 73.7% | 26.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 6,880 | 76.1% | 23.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 6,889 | 78.8% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 4,190 | 80.4% | 19.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 5,580 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 9,341 | 84.1% | 15.9% | Brakes |
| 2015 | 10,869 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 9,129 | 86.5% | 13.5% | Brakes |
| 2017 | 6,633 | 88.3% | 11.7% | Brakes |
| 2018 | 6,455 | 88.9% | 11.1% | Brakes |
| 2019 | 3,338 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Brakes |
| 2020 | 2,263 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Brakes |
| 2021 | 2,658 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.3% | 23,367 |
| 2 | Suspension | 11.3% | 23,328 |
| 3 | Brakes | 9.8% | 20,206 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 6.7% | 13,815 |
| 5 | Steering | 4.5% | 9,398 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.5% | 9,237 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 3.1% | 6,500 |
| 8 | Tyres | 3.1% | 6,454 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 12,487 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 8,567 |
| 3 | Rigid brake pipes | 8,380 |
| 4 | Ball joint | 8,019 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 7,873 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 6,856 |
| 7 | Service brake performance | 6,651 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 6,473 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 30.9% | 64,066 |
| 2 | Brakes | 30.8% | 63,923 |
| 3 | Tyres | 18.5% | 38,407 |
| 4 | Body, structure & corrosion | 16.0% | 33,191 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 11.4% | 23,542 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 11.0% | 22,722 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 9,757 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 27,525 | 12.2% |
| 60-90k | 37,306 | 20.6% |
| 90-120k | 50,079 | 26.3% |
| 120-150k | 44,465 | 28.3% |
| 150k+ | 37,969 | 28.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 195,586 | 23.2% |
| Petrol | 11,664 | 25.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50,231 | 24.4% |
| 2022 | 45,624 | 23.8% |
| 2023 | 40,946 | 23.3% |
| 2024 | 37,187 | 22.6% |
| 2025 | 33,276 | 22.1% |
What to check before buying a Mitsubishi Shogun
- Lighting & signalling (11.3% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (11.3% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Brakes (9.8% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Mitsubishi Shogun?
76.6% of the 207,264 Mitsubishi Shogun MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 23.4% fail rate, across model years 1985–2021.
What does the Mitsubishi Shogun most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.3% of tests, then suspension (11.3%).
Which Shogun years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 90.6% and 2006 the weakest at 71.1%, from 2,658 and 21,038 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Shogun MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.3% for 150k+, a 20.3-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Shogun more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 23.2% of the time against 25.4% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 207,264 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.