Mitsubishi Outlander years to avoid: 2007, 2008, 2009

Last updated 16 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

Inspect most carefully: 2007, 2008, 2009. Strongest in the data: 2016 or 2018. The ranking uses 199,834 MOT test records across 13 qualifying registration-year cohorts in the 2023–2025 DVSA test extracts and compares each cohort with all UK cars of the same age. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Same-vehicle follow-up for common certificate lines on this model is further down: how often the same item failed the next year, and how often the car was not tested again.

Every Outlander year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

Rank	Year	Index	Vs same-age	Pass rate	Tests
1	2016 Strong	102.4	+2.4 pts	83.8%	32,986
2	2018 Strong	102.2	+2.2 pts	88.5%	32,055
3	2017	102.1	+2.1 pts	86.1%	26,486
4	2019	101.8	+1.8 pts	90.2%	19,793
5	2015	100.6	+0.6 pts	79.3%	38,167
6	2014	98.8	-1.2 pts	74.6%	21,174
7	2012	97.2	-2.8 pts	68.5%	3,337
8	2011	96.9	-3.1 pts	66.1%	3,848
9	2013	95.8	-4.2 pts	69.2%	6,092
10	2010	95.4	-4.6 pts	62.7%	4,329
11	2008 Inspect	95.0	-5.0 pts	60.2%	4,601
12	2009 Inspect	93.4	-6.6 pts	59.8%	3,748
13	2007 Inspect	91.9	-8.1 pts	57.0%	3,218

Why 2007 and 2008 and 2009 rank lower

The 2008 cohort passes 60.2% of tests (-5.0 points versus same-age cars) at a median 134,348 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. The 2009 cohort passes 59.8% of tests (-6.6 points versus same-age cars) at a median 131,547 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. The 2007 cohort passes 57.0% of tests (-8.1 points versus same-age cars) at a median 137,015 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

What happened next on this model

Year rankings are age-adjusted pass rates. The figures below are a same-vehicle follow-up for certificate lines that appear often enough on this model (at least 200 cars). They are not a repair quote and they do not isolate a turbo, DSG, or clutch part.

Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 879 cars · 14.9% failed the same item the next year · 14.7% were not tested again
Ball joint has slight play — 471 cars · 11.9% failed the same item the next year · 19.1% were not tested again
Condition has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords — 723 cars · 7.2% failed the same item the next year · 3.3% were not tested again
Linkage ball joints ball joint has slight play — 757 cars · 7.1% failed the same item the next year · 14.5% were not tested again
Service brake performance binding but not excessively — 433 cars · 6.5% failed the same item the next year · 6.9% were not tested again

National rankings for the not-retested gap: cars not tested again. Repair-hold rates: repairs that did not hold.

How to use this before buying

Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2007 example beats a neglected 2016 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Outlander years should I avoid?

Based on 199,834 MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2007, 2008, 2009 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best Outlander year to buy used?

2016 and 2018 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Outlander reliable overall?

Across 199,834 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 97.2 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

What data is required before a years-to-avoid guide is published?

We publish a guide only when a model has at least five registration-year cohorts old enough for a routine first MOT, each based on at least 1,500 Class 4 initial MOT tests pooled across the stated DVSA extract years, and at least 60,000 tests across those cohorts. From the models that pass those gates, this release includes the 220 models with the largest pooled samples. Retests are excluded.

How are the Strong and Inspect labels assigned?

Strong considers only the two highest-ranked registration-year cohorts and labels either one that is within 1.5 index points of the best. Inspect considers only the three lowest-ranked cohorts and labels a year only when its index is no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are MOT test records, not unique vehicles.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Pass rate uses DVSA result codes (P + PRS) ÷ (P + PRS + F): passes and passes after rectification at the test divided by those outcomes plus failures. Class 4 initial-test records only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 records per registration-year cohort. “Strong” considers the top two cohorts within 1.5 index points of the best. “Inspect” considers only the bottom three cohorts, then requires an index no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.