Subaru Forester 2012: MOT failure rate for its age

30.2% of 2,761 MOT tests of the Subaru Forester first registered in 2012 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 105.3 (95% CI 98.1–112.4; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2012 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.

Subaru Forester built in 2012 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	30.2	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	2761
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 98.1–112.4)	105.3	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	2761
Rank among this model's 22 build years	17	of 22	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	2761
Tested in 2024	437	tests	median 100,746 miles	2024	437

Built 2012 against Subaru Forester normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 7: 22.6% vs 22.5%; age 8: 28.4% vs 24.1%; age 9: 26.7% vs 27.3%; age 10: 33.1% vs 31%; age 11: 34.4% vs 32.9%; age 12: 36.6% vs 34.8%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2012 Subaru Forester by registration · All Subaru Forester 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 2012 Subaru Forester fail at each age?

Cars built in 2012 were tested at ages 7 to 12 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.

Subaru Forester built 2012: 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)
7	474 (rough estimate)	22.6	19–26.5	22.5	100.5
8	465 (rough estimate)	28.4	24.5–32.6	24.1	117.9
9	468 (rough estimate)	26.7	22.9–30.9	27.3	97.7
10	472 (rough estimate)	33.1	29–37.4	31	106.5
11	445 (rough estimate)	34.4	30.1–38.9	32.9	104.5
12	437 (rough estimate)	36.6	32.2–41.2	34.8	105.3

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,761 (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 2012 Subaru Forester?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2012 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 23.3 items per 100 first tests, against 23.6 across all build years of the Subaru Forester. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2012 were tested at ages 7 to 12.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Subaru Forester built 2012 against the Subaru Forester in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2012, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	23.3	23.6	643
Suspension	17.5	25.6	483
Brakes	11.4	10.5	314
Visibility	8.7	9.4	241
Tyres	5.5	5	153

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,761 (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 2012 compare with the years around it?

Among the 22 published build years of the Subaru Forester, 2012 ranks 17 (1 = fails least for its age). 2011: index 100.1. 2013: index 95.4.

Subaru Forester build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
1999	109.3	96.7–121.9	no different (rough estimate)	634
2000	102.6	93.1–112.0	no different (rough estimate)	1,050
2001	105.8	98.3–113.4	no different (rough estimate)	1,709
2002	105.0	99.0–111.1	no different (rough estimate)	2,655
2003	103.3	99.3–107.3	no different	5,989
2004	96.6	93.0–100.2	no different	6,978
2005	94.0	90.7–97.3	better	8,309
2006	100.8	97.1–104.5	no different	7,000
2007	96.3	92.3–100.2	no different	6,084
2008	98.7	93.7–103.7	no different	4,008
2009	110.3	104.6–116.0	worse (rough estimate)	3,576
2010	104.0	99.4–108.5	no different	5,634
2011	100.1	95.5–104.8	no different	5,639
2012	105.3	98.1–112.4	no different (rough estimate)	2,761
2013	95.4	90.2–100.7	no different	5,206
2014	97.6	92.7–102.5	no different	7,082
2015	105.4	99.4–111.5	no different	5,986
2016	104.9	98.8–111.0	no different	7,187
2017	94.5	86.8–102.1	no different	4,739
2018	91.5	82.5–100.6	no different (rough estimate)	3,779
2019	93.2	82.7–103.6	no different (rough estimate)	3,346
2020	140.3	104.2–176.4	worse (rough estimate)	494

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 99,845 (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). Subaru Forester 2012 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/subaru-forester/2012/

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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