Subaru Outback 2012: MOT failure rate for its age

28.4% of 1,905 MOT tests of the Subaru Outback 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 103.4 (95% CI 94.7–112.2; 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 Outback built in 2012 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	28.4	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	1905
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 94.7–112.2)	103.4	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	1905
Rank among this model's 17 build years	12	of 17	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	1905
Tested in 2024	289	tests	median 109,581 miles	2024	289

Built 2012 against Subaru Outback normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 7: 21% vs 16.4%; age 8: 24.5% vs 19.9%; age 9: 29.7% vs 25.8%; age 10: 29.9% vs 32.3%; age 11: 29.4% vs 35.1%; age 12: 37% vs 37.1%. Axis from 0% to 40%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2012 Subaru Outback by registration · All Subaru Outback 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 Outback 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 Outback 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	343 (rough estimate)	21	17–25.6	16.4	128
8	326 (rough estimate)	24.5	20.2–29.5	19.9	123.5
9	320 (rough estimate)	29.7	24.9–34.9	25.8	115.2
10	321 (rough estimate)	29.9	25.2–35.1	32.3	92.4
11	306 (rough estimate)	29.4	24.6–34.7	35.1	83.7
12	289 (rough estimate)	37	31.7–42.7	37.1	99.8

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,905 (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 Outback?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2012 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 27 items per 100 first tests, against 22.1 across all build years of the Subaru Outback. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2012 were tested at ages 7 to 12.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Subaru Outback built 2012 against the Subaru Outback 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	27	22.1	514
Suspension	13.3	17.1	253
Brakes	11.1	10.5	212
Visibility	7.7	7.7	146
Tyres	6	6	115

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,905 (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 17 published build years of the Subaru Outback, 2012 ranks 12 (1 = fails least for its age). 2011: index 101.1. 2013: index 112.2.

Subaru Outback build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2004	98.2	89.4–107.0	no different (rough estimate)	1,098
2005	107.7	100.7–114.8	worse (rough estimate)	1,910
2006	99.5	93.9–105.1	no different (rough estimate)	2,906
2007	100.7	94.9–106.5	no different (rough estimate)	2,795
2008	104.2	96.9–111.6	no different (rough estimate)	1,870
2009	101.4	94.9–107.9	no different (rough estimate)	2,442
2010	95.7	90.0–101.4	no different (rough estimate)	3,278
2011	101.1	95.1–107.2	no different (rough estimate)	3,423
2012	103.4	94.7–112.2	no different (rough estimate)	1,905
2013	112.2	101.9–122.6	worse (rough estimate)	1,705
2014	106.9	94.8–119.0	no different (rough estimate)	1,428
2015	99.7	92.6–106.7	no different	4,761
2016	98.6	90.8–106.5	no different	4,582
2017	87.7	76.8–98.5	better (rough estimate)	2,420
2018	97.0	85.8–108.3	no different (rough estimate)	2,616
2019	100.3	85.6–114.9	no different (rough estimate)	1,792
2020	103.4	74.2–132.7	no different (rough estimate)	499

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 41,430 (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 Outback 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-outback/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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