Isuzu Trooper — MOT statistics 2024
The Isuzu Trooper failed 39.71% of 2,503 first MOT attempts in 2024 ("first-time", excluding retests). Adjusted for the age of the fleet, its initial-failure ratio is 102.9 (100 = expected for its age profile). This car is too close to call — statistically indistinguishable from normal for its age. Small sample — treat with care.
Age-adjusted peer: Skoda Rapid (index 102.8) — the two published results are 0.1 index points apart.
Isuzu Trooper common problems: what actually fails the MOT
Body, chassis, structure stand out at 42.5 per 100 tests, against 16.3 per 100 tests across UK vehicles of the same ages.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
family vs national — matched to UK vehicles of the same ages — top component groups, per 100 tests. Legend: This family · National avg. Combined labels: family / national average. A gap here reflects how these vehicles are driven, used and maintained as well as how they were built — an MOT defect is a test outcome, not a breakdown.
Component-group comparison table
Each ratio carries a 95% interval. With 6 groups compared here, roughly one apparent difference in twenty is chance alone, and 1 of these is already inside an interval that includes 1.00×.
| Group | This family | Cases behind it | UK, same ages | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body & structure | 42.5 | 10,006 | 16.3 | 2.61×2.56–2.66 |
| Suspension | 36.0 | 8,471 | 29.5 | 1.22×1.19–1.24 |
| Brakes | 34.6 | 8,159 | 24.1 | 1.44×1.41–1.47 |
| Lamps & electrical | 29.4 | 6,933 | 36.9 | 0.80×0.78–0.82 |
| Visibility | 13.2 | 3,120 | 12.8 | 1.03×1.00–1.07 · not distinguishable |
| Emissions & leaks | 7.5 | 1,765 | 9.7 | 0.77×0.74–0.81 |
| What failed | per 100 tests (this family) | per 100 tests (UK average) | ratio family / UK | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot…A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 10.35 | 1.48 | 7.00× | Ask the seller about: A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely d |
| Transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot…A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 9.46 | 1.56 | 6.07× | Ask the seller about: A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or |
| Suspension joint dust cover severely deterioratedA suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 8.48 | 1.90 | 4.46× | Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corrodedBrake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 7.62 | 1.41 | 5.42× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a…Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point | 5.91 | 0.26 | 22.82× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecureExhaust system leaking or insecure | 5.77 | 1.16 | 4.98× | Watch for smoke on a cold start — emissions failures are costly |
| Strength or continuity of the load bearing…The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 4.64 | 0.38 | 12.28× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Suspension pin, bush or joint excessively wornA suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 8.60 | 4.87 | 1.77× | Listen for knocks over bumps — worn joints show up on the test |
| Strength or continuity of the load bearing…The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 4.72 | 1.12 | 4.22× | Look underneath for rust or cracks around subframe and suspension mountings |
| Windscreen or window damaged or seriously…Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view | 4.54 | 2.36 | 1.92× | Check wipers, washers and windscreen chips in the driver's view |
Named defects ranked by how much more often they appear than the national average — not by raw rate.
Isuzu Trooper MOT advisories: what gets flagged
Suspension is highest at 68.2 per 100 tests; Steering is lowest at 8.3 per 100 tests — the gap is 59.9 per 100 tests.
higher bar = flagged more oftenadvisory items per 100 initial tests
Advisory rates table
| Group | Advisories per 100 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 68.2 |
| Brakes | 66.6 |
| Body & structure | 31.9 |
| Tyres | 25.3 |
| Emissions & leaks | 22.7 |
| Steering | 8.3 |
Advisories are wear the tester noted but didn't fail — what will need money soon.
If a car like this fails, does it fail again?
A failure rate does not say whether a failure is a one-off or the start of something. This follows the same vehicles into their next ordinary MOT a year later — retests after a repair are excluded, because they follow a failure by definition. 2019-2024.
| After this year's test | Fails next year | Vehicles followed |
|---|---|---|
| It failed | 32.7% | 2,159 |
| It passed | 32.9% | 8,888 |
A failed test does not clearly change next year's odds here (32.7% against 32.9%): the difference is within the margin of error. The failure most likely to come back is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 29.6% of those vehicles fail again next year. Some of this is the vehicle and some is the owner: a car that was let go once tends to be let go again. One caveat: a car that fails may be sold or scrapped rather than tested again, so these figures describe the vehicles that came back.
Adjusted for how much these are actually driven
The headline index adjusts for the fleet's age. Wear, though, follows mileage: a three-year-old taxi and a three-year-old garage queen sit in the same age band. These two rows compare every car with vehicles of the same age, and then with vehicles of the same age and the same annual mileage, 2019-2024, on 22,431 tests. Both stand on the six-year corpus so they are measured on identical data — compare them with each other, not with the headline index above, which is measured on 2024 alone.
| Standardised for | Index | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Age only | 98.9 | fails less often than expected |
| Age and annual mileage | 92.7 | fails less often than vehicles driven as much |
| Share doing under 3,000 miles a year | 4.7% | a normal spread of use |
Mileage matters here: matching on how much these are driven moves the figure by 6.2 points — this fleet works harder than the vehicles it is measured against, so the age-only view penalises it — but it does not change which side of normal the car sits on. One limit to keep in mind: mileage is partly a result of how often a car breaks down — one that spends weeks in the workshop covers fewer miles — so the mileage-matched figure can understate a real weakness. Tests with no usable odometer reading are left out of it.
How the Isuzu Trooper compares with cars of its own age and size
Not against the whole fleet — against cars of the same size class tested at the same age, 2019-2024.
| Age | Isuzu Trooper | Same class, same age | Difference | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 years | 40.54% | 34.58% | +5.96 pp | 222 |
| 15 years | 42.68% | 36.03% | +6.65 pp | 642 |
| 16 years | 43.69% | 37.08% | +6.61 pp | 1,236 |
| 17 years | 42.08% | 37.46% | +4.62 pp | 1,906 |
| 18 years | 40.46% | 37.83% | +2.63 pp | 2,133 |
| 19 years | 40.46% | 37.43% | +3.03 pp | 2,353 |
| 20 years | 41.64% | 36.93% | +4.71 pp | 2,433 |
Raw first-time failure rates within each age, so fleet age cannot flatter either side. A positive difference means this model fails more often than its own class at that age.
How does the Isuzu Trooper perform as it gets older?
The Trooper at age 19 is well below the reference at 39.3%, against 43.5% for all vehicles of the same age.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart axes: car age, years · failure-rate scale 0–47%.
Takeaway: solid line: this family; dashed: all cars.
Data table
| Age | Isuzu Trooper | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 39.3% | 43.5% | -4.2 pp |
| 20 | 39.9% | 41.0% | -1.2 pp |
Is an Isuzu Trooper ULEZ compliant?
The share of classifiable 2024 Isuzu Trooper MOT tests likely ULEZ compliant by first-registration date is 0.0%.
Based on 1,564 classifiable initial MOT tests. This describes the tested fleet, not a specific car. MOT data do not record Euro class, so likely compliance is inferred from fuel and first-registration date. For the only authoritative answer, check the registration with TfL's official ULEZ checker.
higher = larger share likely compliantinferred from fuel and first-registration date; not a recorded Euro class
| Vehicle age at test | Likely ULEZ-compliant share | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 3–5 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 6–7 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 8 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 0 |
| 9 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 1 |
| 10–14 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 3 |
| 15–17 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 12 |
| 18 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 43 |
| 19 years | Suppressed — sample below publication threshold Check a registration with TfL | n = 163 |
| 20+ years | 0.0% Check a registration with TfL | n = 1,342 |
How dangerous are Isuzu Trooper MOT failures?
Major defects stand out at 131.3 per 100 tests, against 52.8 per 100 tests nationally.
higher bar = fails more oftenrate per 100 tests
Severity table
| Severity | This family /100 | National /100 | Family / national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor | 35.46 | 14.22 | 2.49× |
| Major | 131.26 | 52.75 | 2.49× |
| Dangerous | 13.91 | 11.15 | 1.25× |
Chart values: Minor 35.5 · Major 131.3 · Dangerous 13.9.
Per 100 tests on this family. National average: Minor 14.2 · Major 52.8 · Dangerous 11.2 per 100.
Does the month of an Isuzu Trooper MOT matter?
Apr is highest at 44.0%; Dec is lowest at 35.3% — the gap is 8.7 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Chart scale: 27%–45%.
bars: Isuzu Trooper · dashed: all class-4 cars
Month-by-month table
| Month | Isuzu Trooper | All vehicles | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43.15% | 31.12% | +12.0 pp |
| Feb | 40.58% | 29.99% | +10.6 pp |
| Mar | 40.77% | 28.26% | +12.5 pp |
| Apr | 43.98% | 29.78% | +14.2 pp |
| May | 42.28% | 28.79% | +13.5 pp |
| Jun | 42.29% | 28.15% | +14.1 pp |
| Jul | 39.27% | 29.33% | +9.9 pp |
| Aug | 41.96% | 29.2% | +12.8 pp |
| Sep | 41.6% | 28.19% | +13.4 pp |
| Oct | 40.18% | 30.34% | +9.8 pp |
| Nov | 38.68% | 30.58% | +8.1 pp |
| Dec | 35.32% | 29.33% | +6.0 pp |
Takeaway: the spread between best and worst month is 8.7 percentage points — noticeable seasonality. Seasonality partly reflects registration-date clustering, not weather.
Before reading the shape: most of it is not about cars. Britain changes its registration plates twice a year, and 18.9% of these cars were first registered in March with another17.1% in September — 36% in two months against the 17% an even spread would give. An MOT falls due three years after first registration, so the buying calendar becomes the testing calendar. That shapes how many cars are tested each month — not how often they fail: the busiest months here are not the worst ones, so read the failure line on its own and the volume behind it separately.
Isuzu Trooper average mileage by age
At age 20+, the middle half of Troopers runs from 99,500 miles to 157,380 miles, against 125,696 miles as the median.
further right = more milesmedian is the typical car; band is p25–p75
Does high mileage mean more Isuzu Trooper MOT failures at the same age?
Within the same age group, split by odometer (2024 MOTs), so this separates wear from age: at ages 15+, 39.4% of those with 40,000–70,000 miles failed first time versus 40.8% of those with over 140,000 miles.No clear mileage gap inside this age group, among cars still being tested.
| Age | Odometer | % failing | 95% interval | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15+ | 40-70k miles | 39.4% | 30.8–48.8% | 109 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 70-100k miles | 32.1% | 26.7–38.1% | 252 (rough estimate) |
| 15+ | 100-140k miles | 41.8% | 37.8–45.9% | 569 |
| 15+ | 140k+ miles | 40.8% | 36.9–44.8% | 603 |
line: median · band: middle half of the fleet (p25–p75)
Mileage by age (p25 / median / p75)
| Age | p25 | Median | p75 | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 101,269 | 129,372 | 155,980 | 163 |
| 20+ | 99,500 | 125,696 | 157,380 | 1,344 |
A typical 20+-year-old Trooper has ~125,696 miles on the clock. Much more — ask why; much less — check for gaps in the MOT history.
Where in Britain the Isuzu Trooper fails its MOT most
Bournemouth area is highest at 56.3%; Slough area is lowest at 21.9% — the gap is 34.4 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Toughest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth (BH) | 56.33% | +15.6 pp |
| Plymouth (PL) | 55.73% | +15.0 pp |
| Taunton (TA) | 54.63% | +13.9 pp |
| Bath (BA) | 53.27% | +12.5 pp |
| Torquay (TQ) | 53.15% | +12.4 pp |
| Easiest areas | % failing | vs model overall |
|---|---|---|
| Slough (SL) | 21.9% | -18.9 pp |
| Southend-on-Sea (SS) | 22.97% | -17.8 pp |
| Durham (DH) | 24.11% | -16.7 pp |
| Redhill (RH) | 28.62% | -12.2 pp |
| Crewe (CW) | 29.27% | -11.5 pp |
Every dot is a postcode area — size = how many were tested there, colour = share failing. These figures are not age-adjusted: coastal and rural areas often run older fleets and salted roads, so higher raw fail rates do not automatically mean a worse local stock of this model.
Map labels: Scotland · N. England · Wales · London · S. West. Colour scale: 32%–55% failing.
How many miles does an Isuzu Trooper last?
100,000+ miles is highest at 77.7%; 200,000+ miles is lowest at 9.7% — the gap is 67.9 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Odometer | Tests ≥ threshold | Share of sample |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000+ miles | 18,154 | 77.68% |
| 150,000+ miles | 8,069 | 34.53% |
| 200,000+ miles | 2,277 | 9.74% |
Of 23,370 tests of this family with a usable odometer in 2024, 77.7% had reached 100k miles, 34.5% had reached 150k miles, 9.7% had reached 200k miles. This is a cross-section of cars still presenting for MOT, not a full birth cohort.
Isuzu Trooper faults that come together
Identification + Steering stand out at 3.89×, against 1.00× if the faults were independent.
above 1.0× = more than expectedbelow 1.0× = less
| Group A | Group B | Together | Lift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identification of the vehicle | Steering | 37 | 3.89× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Noise, emissions and leaks | 64 | 3.8× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 45 | 3.7× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Tyres | 29 | 3.63× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Road Wheels | 62 | 3.46× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Tyres | 152 | 3.41× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 159 | 3.33× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 223 | 3.29× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Identification of the vehicle | 145 | 3.25× (rough estimate) |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Tyres | 103 | 3.21× (rough estimate) |
| Identification of the vehicle | Visibility | 92 | 3.2× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Road Wheels | 53 | 3.17× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Tyres | 75 | 2.99× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Noise, emissions and leaks | 738 | 2.97× |
| Road Wheels | Visibility | 31 | 2.88× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 515 | 2.87× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Steering | 109 | 2.86× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Tyres | 332 | 2.82× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Tyres | 338 | 2.68× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Noise, emissions and leaks | 708 | 2.66× |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Steering | 140 | 2.65× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Suspension | 436 | 2.62× (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Suspension | 52 | 2.62× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 498 | 2.59× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Steering | 363 | 2.59× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Noise, emissions and leaks | 944 | 2.58× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Suspension | 546 | 2.56× |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Steering | 374 | 2.49× (rough estimate) |
| Suspension | Tyres | 348 | 2.49× (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,717 | 2.44× |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Visibility | 282 | 2.44× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Suspension | 715 | 2.42× |
| Identification of the vehicle | Suspension | 128 | 2.41× (rough estimate) |
| Steering | Visibility | 215 | 2.38× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Visibility | 1,070 | 2.36× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Identification of the vehicle | 153 | 2.33× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Tyres | 395 | 2.28× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Road Wheels | 56 | 2.28× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 596 | 2.26× |
| Brakes | Suspension | 1,751 | 2.24× |
| Tyres | Visibility | 168 | 2.21× (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Visibility | 353 | 2.2× (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Suspension | 1,802 | 2.15× |
| Brakes | Visibility | 885 | 2.09× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Steering | 424 | 2.06× (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Brakes | 1,968 | 2.03× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Suspension | 2,309 | 2.01× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2,065 | 1.99× |
| Suspension | Visibility | 944 | 1.87× |
| Body, chassis, structure | Visibility | 1,119 | 1.79× |
| Road Wheels | Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 19 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | Road Wheels | 18 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Speedometer and speed limiter | 12 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Tyres | 11 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Body, chassis, structure | Speedometer and speed limiter | 10 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Speedometer and speed limiter | 9 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Suspension | 8 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Speedometer and speed limiter | Visibility | 7 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Road Wheels | Steering | 6 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Brakes | Buses and coaches supplementary tests | 5 | too few (rough estimate) |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Seat belt installation check | 5 | too few (rough estimate) |
Defects in «Brakes» and «Noise, emissions and leaks» appear together 2.97× more often than chance (738 co-occurrences in the same test; lift≥1.3, n≥500).
Lift = how many times more often both groups appear on the same test than if independent. A pair is listed from 5 tests with both faults; the lift is shown from 20, and called above chance only when its 95% interval excludes 1 (see rough estimates).
Is low mileage better for an Isuzu Trooper?
Cars driven under 5,000 miles a year is well below the reference at 25.8%, against 41.8% for cars driven 8,000–12,000 miles a year.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
| Band | Fail % | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| <5k miles/year | 25.81% | 31 |
| 8–12k miles/year | 41.76% | 91 |
| Gap (low − normal) | -15.95 pp | — |
By fuel and age
Diesel
| Age | Low-use fail % | n | Normal fail % | n | Gap pp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 26.67 | 30 | 41.11 | 90 | -14.44 pp |
At matched ages 5–14, cars averaging under 5k miles/year fail at 25.8% vs 41.8% for 8–12k miles/year — 15.9 pp, interval includes no difference (n_low=31, n_normal=91). The gap interval includes no difference, so no higher/lower claim is made. Diesel alone: 26.7% low-use vs 41.1% normal (-14.4 pp).
Best year for an Isuzu Trooper, and the years to avoid
Build year 1999 is highest at 100.7; Build year 2004 is lowest at 89.1 — the gap is 11.6 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
build year vs the same model at the same age · 100 = as expected
Every build year with its confidence interval
| Build year | vs own age norm | 95% CI | Raw fail % | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 94 | 84.1–104 | 40.4% | 849 | no different |
| 2004 | 89.1 | 82.1–96.1 | 38.09% | 1,633 | better |
| 2003 | 94.6 | 88.7–100.4 | 41.53% | 2,425 | no different |
| 2002 | 99.1 | 93.9–104.4 | 42.42% | 3,232 | no different |
| 2001 | 94.5 | 87.7–101.4 | 40.58% | 1,804 | no different |
| 2000 | 99.3 | 91.8–106.8 | 43.13% | 1,544 | no different |
| 1999 | 100.7 | 93–108.5 | 44.03% | 1,492 | no different |
| 1998 | 94.7 | 85.3–104 | 41.9% | 938 | no different |
The best build year here is 2004 and the weakest is 2004. Comparing build years sounds simple and is not: within a single year of testing, a car's build year and its age are the same number, so a naive comparison of years is a comparison of ages wearing a disguise. Each year below is measured against the same model at the same age in other cohorts, across six years of testing — 1 of 8 years come out distinguishable from their own model's age norm.
Two limits worth knowing before you act on this. Age, test year and build year are locked together by arithmetic, so the test-year effect is taken from the observed national failure level of each year rather than estimated — it is an adjustment, not a solution.
Isuzu Trooper MOT repair costs
The MOT-failure repair budget per test runs from £172.86 to £328.43, against £54.85 for the test itself.
bigger number = costs morepounds per test, MOT-failing faults only
| Component | Fails per 100 tests | Typical repair | Its price | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 36.0 (nat. 15.36) | Suspension coil spring (single corner) | £180 | £64.80 |
| Brakes | 34.6 (nat. 11.25) | Front brake pads (parts + labour, typical hatchback) | £150 | £51.90 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 29.4 (nat. 18.09) | Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | £140 | £41.16 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.5 (nat. 3.67) | Exhaust rear silencer | £200 | £15.00 |
Multiply how often each component fails on this model by what that repair usually costs, and you get the amount an owner should expect to budget per test for MOT-failing faults only — roughly £173 to £328, on top of the test fee itself. It is a budgeting figure, not a quote: the spread between a set of pads and a set of discs is most of the range.
Prices are modal quotes from a hand-kept catalogue of published UK garage guides — we do not scrape the booking sites, their terms forbid it, so this list is short and updated by hand with a source and date against each line. Each line prices one typical repair in that group, not a full remedy, and only groups our catalogue actually covers are counted. The contrast worth noticing is the second card: the legal maximum for the test has been £54.85 since 2010, while the repairs it uncovers have followed inflation the whole time.
For scale from a different direction: Warrantywise, which sees used-car warranty claims rather than test failures, puts the average claim at £2,052 across the ten highest-claim models it ranks and £539 for Honda, the lowest-claim make in its index (Warrantywise index 2026, 1.6 million claims, cars aged 3–15). Those sit an order of magnitude above the figures in this table, and the gap is the point: a warranty claim is a gearbox or an engine, which almost never fails an MOT, while the faults that do fail one are corrosion, lamps and tyres, which no warranty pays for. The two numbers answer different questions and neither replaces the other.
Isuzu Trooper rust problems: where they corrode
Age-standardised corrosion susceptibility stands out at 4.67×, against 1.00× for the national age-standardised rate.
above 1.0× = rusts more than averagebelow 1.0× = rusts less
This Isuzu Trooper fails on corrosion far more often than average once age is held constant, and its owners live in areas that are about typical for the models we publish.
Corrosion is the one failure mode that is as much about geography as about the car. We keep the two apart on purpose: a model can look rusty simply because it is popular in Scotland, and a model can look clean simply because it is bought in Surrey. Blending them into a single score would hide which of the two is doing the work.
Exposure is this model's tests weighted by an area corrosion index built from frost days, salt load and distance to the coast — the composite validated at r = 0.42 against corrosion defects we actually record. It is published as a rank, not a raw score, because every mainstream model skews towards low-corrosion areas for the simple reason that most of Britain's cars are in the south. Susceptibility is standardised to the national age profile, so an old fleet does not get labelled a rusty model.
Does an Isuzu Trooper advisory become a failure?
Body, chassis, structure are highest at 30.2%; Non-component advisories are lowest at 0.0% — the gap is 30.2 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
chance the same component fails at the next MOT, given an advisory now
| Component | Fails next time | Typical lead time | Miles of warning | Advisories tracked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body, chassis, structure | 30.2% | 12.1 months | 2,884 | 3,430 |
| Suspension | 26.1% | 12.1 months | 3,390 | 5,701 |
| Brakes | 20.2% | 12.2 months | 2,891 | 6,001 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.6% | 12.1 months | 3,235 | 3,333 |
| Steering | 8.5% | 12.1 months | 3,338 | 1,196 |
| Tyres | 7.1% | 12.2 months | 3,220 | 2,519 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 4.2% | 12.3 months | 2,886 | 1,022 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.0% | — | — | 1,194 |
This is the question an advisory note actually raises, and it needs six years of test history to answer. We followed the same vehicles from one MOT to the next across 2019–2024 and measured how often a component that was merely advised came back as a genuine failure at the next test.
Read it as a budgeting horizon, not a prophecy: the most likely component above turns into a failure for about 30 in 100 cars, and the median gap is 12.1 months and roughly 2,884 miles. The rest were repaired, sold, scrapped, or simply held. Rows with fewer than 500 tracked advisories are not shown.
What will fail next on an Isuzu Trooper?
Body, chassis, structure after a failure at age 20+ are highest at 29.0%; Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment after a passed at age 12-14 are lowest at 8.1% — the gap is 20.9 percentage points.
higher = more likelypercentage is the observed transition probability
| Age | Last test | Most likely next failures | Cars tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12-14 | passed | Body, chassis, structure 12.2% · Brakes 10.6% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 8.1% | 123 (rough estimate) |
| 12-14 | advisory | Body, chassis, structure 23.6% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 20.3% · Suspension 16.2% | 148 (rough estimate) |
| 12-14 | failure | Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 25.6% · Body, chassis, structure 24.6% · Suspension 22.6% | 195 (rough estimate) |
| 15-19 | passed | Body, chassis, structure 15.5% · Suspension 11.9% · Brakes 10.4% | 1,794 |
| 15-19 | advisory | Body, chassis, structure 26.4% · Suspension 19.3% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 16.8% | 2,549 |
| 15-19 | failure | Body, chassis, structure 27.5% · Suspension 23.1% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 22.8% | 3,061 |
| 20+ | passed | Body, chassis, structure 15.0% · Suspension 11.8% · Brakes 9.7% | 2,371 |
| 20+ | advisory | Body, chassis, structure 25.3% · Suspension 20.5% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 15.3% | 3,288 |
| 20+ | failure | Body, chassis, structure 29.0% · Suspension 25.0% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 22.7% | 3,724 |
| unknown | failure | Suspension 16.1% · Body, chassis, structure 12.9% · Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 9.7% | 62 (rough estimate) |
The same chains, cut differently: given a car's age and how its last test went, which component most often causes trouble at the following one.
The pattern that repeats across every family: a failure at one test roughly doubles the chance of a failure on the same component at the next one, and an advisory sits about half-way between a clean pass and a failure. Age bands in years; probabilities are per car, not per defect item.
Isuzu Trooper ownership: what six years of MOTs show
The ten-day re-test pass rate is highest at 74.4%; The later re-test pass rate is lowest at 11.1% — the gap is 63.3 percentage points.
higher = larger sharecompare shares in percentage points
Failing is usually a same-week event, not a disaster. Of 6,256 failures followed through to their re-test, 14.53% were repaired and passed the same day and 74.39% within ten days; the median gap is 3 days. 22,510 defect items were cleared in the process.
Per mile driven, not per year. Dividing failures by the miles that actually went onto the odometers between consecutive tests gives 1.009 failures per 10,000 miles, on a median of 2,531 miles a year across 4,956 chains. This is the number to compare between models — an annual rate quietly rewards cars that barely leave the drive.
Two populations hide inside one model. 18.1% of these cars strung together three or more tests with nothing recorded at all, while 51.36% carried the same advisory three times or more — the same fault, noted, ignored, noted again. When you buy used you are buying one of those two histories, and the MOT record shows which.
Odometer anomalies: 4.306% of 5,039 chains show a reading lower than the previous test, with a median drop of 61,293 miles. We call this an anomaly and not fraud on purpose — instrument swaps, imports, unit mix-ups and keying errors all land in the same bucket. Obvious typos (drops under 100 miles or over 90% of the reading) are already excluded.
Isuzu Trooper safety recalls and how to check yours
DVSA recall campaigns stand out at 3.
bigger number = more recorded casescompare like-for-like scope, not sample size alone
recall campaigns launched per year
| Reference | Launched | Vehicles | Concern |
|---|---|---|---|
R/2011/154 | 15/01/2012 | 12,382 | ENGINE SPEED MAY INCREASE UNINTENTIONALLY |
R/2005/179 | 03/03/2006 | 14,215 | DILUTION OF ENGINE OIL LEADING TO ENGINE DAMAGE |
R/2004/195 | 30/06/2005 | 14,697 | HEATER TERMINAL MAY BURN OUT |
DVSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns for the Isuzu Trooper, covering roughly 41,294 vehicles in total. A recall is the manufacturer fixing a fault for free, so an open recall on your car costs nothing to clear.
Counter-intuitive, and measured on our own data: across the 25 families published here, more recalls go with a lower MOT Risk Index (r = −0.52). Heavily recalled models are not worse cars in the test bay — an active manufacturer removes the fault before it becomes an MOT failure.
Check whether a specific car has an outstanding recall — free, by registration — at DVSA's recall service. Source: DVSA vehicle safety recalls (check-vehicle-recalls.service.gov.uk), OGL.
Isuzu Trooper MOT: quick answers
Isuzu Trooper MOT Risk Index is close to the reference at 102.9, against 100 for a car with the same age profile.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
- What is the Isuzu Trooper first-time MOT pass rate?
- 60.29% of first attempts passed in 2024 (2,503 tests). This is the first-time figure: retests after repair are excluded. Basis: first-time, excluding retests.
- Why does this number differ from other sites?
- Other sites often report a pass rate that includes retests or counts all attempts. Our 39.71% figure is the first-time initial failure rate, using 2,503 primary tests as the denominator (first-time, excluding retests). The age-adjusted MOT initial-failure ratio 102.9 is shown separately because raw rates compare fleet age as well as cars.
Compare the Isuzu Trooper with other cars
Renault Master is highest at 103.0; Skoda Rapid is lowest at 102.8 — the gap is 0.2 points.
below 100 is betterabove 100 is worse100 = normal for this model at that age
Same brand
All Isuzu MOT statisticsIsuzu Rodeo MOT statsIsuzu D-Max MOT stats
Similar risk
Renault Master (index 103.0)Skoda Rapid (index 102.8)Suzuki Splash (index 102.8)
Same size class
how Volkswagen LT compareshow Infiniti Q50 compareshow Nissan Serena compares
By build year
Isuzu Trooper 1998Isuzu Trooper 1999Isuzu Trooper 2000Isuzu Trooper 2001Isuzu Trooper 2002Isuzu Trooper 2003Isuzu Trooper 2004Isuzu Trooper 2005
By area
Isuzu Trooper MOT failure rate by postcode area
By failure group
Isuzu Trooper body, chassis and structure failuresIsuzu Trooper brakes failuresIsuzu Trooper vehicle identification failuresIsuzu Trooper lamps, reflectors and electrics failuresIsuzu Trooper noise, emissions and leaks failuresIsuzu Trooper road wheels failuresIsuzu Trooper seat belts and airbags failuresIsuzu Trooper steering failuresIsuzu Trooper suspension failuresIsuzu Trooper tyres failuresIsuzu Trooper visibility failures
Data details & how to cite
Scope: class-4 vehicles (cars), initial tests only, outcomes pass / fail / fixed-on-the-spot at the station (PRS counts towards the failure rate — the defect was present at arrival). Index = observed initial failures ÷ failures expected for this fleet's exact age profile, ×100; margin of error is a 95% confidence interval. Covers ALL generations together — a 3-year-old and a 15-year-old are very different cars; a generation split is on the roadmap. Dataset release dataset_release_id=dvsa-2024-v2, frozen baseline; headline claim_id=family-stats:isuzu-trooper:dvsa-2024-v2. Full method: methodology.
Cite: MOT Risk Index (2026). Isuzu Trooper MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; downloadable dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, doi:10.5281/zenodo.22975051). https://motriskindex.co.uk/cars/isuzu-trooper/ · Published 2026-07-30.