The picture
Lancer: middle-of-the-pack on first-time pass
Across 13,751 MOT tests, the Lancer returns 71.5% first-time pass — below the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a number-plate lamp out. A worn steering ball joint and a torn suspension dust cover round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 92,841, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
Top ten reasons for rejection.
- 01
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
849 occurrences · 6.2% of tests
- 02
A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play
696 occurrences · 5.1% of tests
- 03
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
671 occurrences · 4.9% of tests
- 04
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
553 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 05
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
549 occurrences · 4.0% of tests
- 06
Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded
506 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
- 07
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
345 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
- 08
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
312 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
- 09
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
266 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
- 10
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
262 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 4 failures
£178–£595
If every one of this Lancer's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Tools that pre-empt a retest.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Buying or keeping a Lancer?
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Lancer and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.