Does the Subaru Outback fail the MOT on vehicle identification more than it should?
The Subaru Outback records 0.35 vehicle identification failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.40 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.05, 95% interval −0.11 to +0.01). It ranks 401 of 636 models on vehicle identification (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on vehicle identification · check a Subaru Outback by registration
What exactly fails on vehicle identification?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Subaru Outback is “Number plate inscription missing or illegible”, recorded 75 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Number plate inscription missing or illegible | 75 | 0.17 |
| Number plate does not conform to the specified requirements | 50 | 0.11 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 44,070 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Subaru Outback gets a vehicle identification advisory, how often does it fail next time?
3.7% of Subaru Outback MOTs with a vehicle identification advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 8,068 miles later (845 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 845 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Subaru Outback 2004 · Subaru Outback 2005 · Subaru Outback 2006 · Subaru Outback 2007 · Subaru Outback 2008 · Subaru Outback 2009 · Subaru Outback 2010 · Subaru Outback 2011 · Subaru Outback 2012 · Subaru Outback 2013 · Subaru Outback 2014 · Subaru Outback 2015 · Subaru Outback 2016 · Subaru Outback 2017 · Subaru Outback 2018 · Subaru Outback 2019 · Subaru Outback 2020 · Subaru Outback in Norway · Subaru Outback in Finland · Subaru Outback by postcode area · Subaru Outback body, chassis and structure failures · Subaru Outback brakes failures · Subaru Outback lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Subaru Outback noise, emissions and leaks failures · Subaru Outback road wheels failures · Subaru Outback seat belts and airbags failures · Subaru Outback steering failures · Subaru Outback suspension failures · Subaru Outback tyres failures · Subaru Outback visibility failures