Mitsubishi Space Star 2003: MOT failure rate for its age

56.3% of 3,935 MOT tests of the Mitsubishi Space Star 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 98.8 (95% CI 94.7–103.0; 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 Space Star built in 2003 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	56.3	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	3935
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 94.7–103.0)	98.8	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	3935
Rank among this model's 5 build years	5	of 5	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	3935
Tested in 2024	321	tests	median 87,164 miles	2024	321

Built 2003 against Mitsubishi Space Star normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 16: 58.8% vs 60.5%; age 17: 55.2% vs 56.6%; age 18: 54.1% vs 55.1%; age 19: 56.3% vs 54.2%; age 20: 54.5% vs 53.4%; age 21: 57.3% vs n/a%. Axis from 0% to 70%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2003 Mitsubishi Space Star by registration · All Mitsubishi Space Star 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 Space Star 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 Space Star 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	1,341	58.8	56.2–61.4	60.5	97.2
17	943	55.2	52.1–58.4	56.6	97.7
18	715	54.1	50.5–57.7	55.1	98.3
19	529	56.3	52.1–60.5	54.2	104
20	407 (rough estimate)	54.5	49.7–59.3	53.4	102.1
21	321 (rough estimate)	57.3	51.9–62.6	not available	not available

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,256 (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 Space Star?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2003 is suspension: 67.6 items per 100 first tests, against 62.3 across all build years of the Mitsubishi Space Star. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2003 were tested at ages 16 to 21.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Mitsubishi Space Star built 2003 against the Mitsubishi Space Star in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2003, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	67.6	62.3	2,875
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	57.6	56.3	2,453
Brakes	47	46	1,999
Body, chassis, structure	29.1	27.4	1,239
Steering	14.7	15.1	625

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,256 (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 5 published build years of the Mitsubishi Space Star, 2003 ranks 5 (1 = fails least for its age). 2002: index 97.8. 2004: index 98.3.

Mitsubishi Space Star build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2001	82.7	74.5–90.9	better (rough estimate)	822
2002	97.8	92.5–103.1	no different (rough estimate)	2,330
2003	98.8	94.7–103.0	no different (rough estimate)	3,935
2004	98.3	94.9–101.7	no different	5,854
2005	95.6	91.2–100.1	no different (rough estimate)	3,338

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 16,279 (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 Space Star 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-space-star/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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