Mitsubishi Colt 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

44.0% of 343 MOT tests of the Mitsubishi Colt first registered in 2003 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 88.7 (95% CI 74.5–102.8; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2003 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Mitsubishi Colt built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	44.0	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	343
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 74.5–102.8)	88.7	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	343
Rank among this model's 13 build years	1	of 13	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	343
Tested in 2024	42	tests	median 75,375 miles	2024	42

Built 2003 against Mitsubishi Colt normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 39.8% vs 52.6%; age 17: 44.7% vs 49%; age 18: 45.9% vs 48.2%; age 19: 49.2% vs 46.4%; age 20: 46.9% vs n/a%; age 21: 35.7% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 60%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 Mitsubishi Colt by registration · All Mitsubishi Colt MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt fail at each age?

Cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Mitsubishi Colt built 2003: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
16	123 (rough estimate)	39.8	31.6–48.7	52.6	75.7
17	85 (rough estimate)	44.7	34.6–55.3	49	91.3
18	74 (rough estimate)	45.9	35.1–57.2	48.2	95.4
19	61 (rough estimate)	49.2	37.1–61.4	46.4	106
20	49 (rough estimate)	46.9	33.7–60.6	not available	not available
21	42 (rough estimate)	35.7	23–50.8	not available	not available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 434 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 2003 Mitsubishi Colt?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is suspension: 33.2 items per 100 first tests, against 25.2 across all build years of the Mitsubishi Colt. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mitsubishi Colt built 2003 against the Mitsubishi Colt in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	33.2	25.2	144
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	27.2	34.4	118
Brakes	20.3	12.5	88
Body, chassis, structure	18.2	12	79
Visibility	16.6	14	72

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 434 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 2003 compare with the years around it?

Among the 13 published build years of the Mitsubishi Colt, 2003 ranks 1 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 90.1. 2004: index 101.1.

Mitsubishi Colt build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2001	95.6	78.2–113.1	no different (rough estimate)	237
2002	90.1	76.7–103.4	no different (rough estimate)	386
2003	88.7	74.5–102.8	no different (rough estimate)	343
2004	101.1	96.4–105.8	no different (rough estimate)	3,632
2005	99.9	97.8–102.0	no different	17,897
2006	98.0	96.1–99.8	better	23,684
2007	101.7	100.0–103.4	no different	29,601
2008	105.3	103.6–107.0	worse	31,948
2009	98.5	96.7–100.4	no different	26,312
2010	96.1	93.7–98.4	better	16,743
2011	90.9	87.8–93.9	better	10,633
2012	92.2	88.7–95.6	better	9,281
2013	96.9	90.6–103.2	no different (rough estimate)	3,217

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 173,914 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Mitsubishi Colt 2003 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/mitsubishi-colt/2003/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

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