Porsche 911 years to avoid — 108,839 MOT tests ranked

No clear negative outlier after correcting for age. Strongest in the data: 2008 or 2010. The ranking uses 108,839 MOT tests across 20 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age.

Every 911 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.

RankYearIndexVs same-agePass rateTests
1 2008 Strong 125.3 +25.3 pts 90.4% 5,266
2 2010 Strong 124.8 +24.8 pts 92.2% 4,636
3 2009 124.4 +24.4 pts 90.8% 3,991
4 2011 124.0 +24.0 pts 93.1% 3,361
5 2007 123.6 +23.6 pts 88.7% 7,103
6 2006 123.3 +23.3 pts 87.8% 8,100
7 2005 122.9 +22.9 pts 87.5% 8,185
8 2012 121.9 +21.9 pts 93.1% 4,308
9 2004 121.5 +21.5 pts 86.0% 7,000
10 2013 121.2 +21.2 pts 94.5% 3,708
11 2014 118.9 +18.9 pts 94.8% 4,562
12 2003 118.6 +18.6 pts 83.7% 7,514
13 2001 118.1 +18.1 pts 84.8% 4,284
14 2002 118.0 +18.0 pts 83.8% 6,847
15 2015 116.7 +16.7 pts 95.4% 5,060
16 2016 114.3 +14.3 pts 95.6% 5,018
17 2017 111.0 +11.0 pts 95.0% 5,563
18 2018 108.7 +8.7 pts 95.1% 6,327
19 2019 107.2 +7.2 pts 95.6% 5,990
20 2020 106.5 +6.5 pts 96.5% 2,016

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished older example beats a neglected 2008 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 911 years should I avoid?

No year is a clear negative outlier after correcting for age, so buy on condition and history rather than year.

What is the best 911 year to buy used?

2008 and 2010 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 911 reliable overall?

Across 108,839 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 120.1 (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.

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. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.