Porsche Boxster years to avoid — 81,216 MOT tests ranked

No clear negative outlier after correcting for age. Strongest in the data: 2009 or 2010. The ranking uses 81,216 MOT tests across 19 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age.

Every Boxster 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 2009 Strong 124.4 +24.4 pts 90.7% 2,470
2 2010 Strong 123.9 +23.9 pts 91.2% 2,341
3 2008 123.4 +23.4 pts 88.5% 3,134
4 2011 121.7 +21.7 pts 90.9% 2,217
5 2007 120.9 +20.9 pts 86.0% 4,708
6 2013 119.8 +19.8 pts 93.1% 3,745
7 2012 119.8 +19.8 pts 91.0% 3,126
8 2006 119.6 +19.6 pts 84.0% 5,496
9 2005 118.0 +18.0 pts 82.6% 9,581
10 2014 116.8 +16.8 pts 92.6% 3,522
11 2015 115.6 +15.6 pts 94.4% 3,151
12 2004 114.0 +14.0 pts 78.4% 6,022
13 2016 113.2 +13.2 pts 94.5% 3,622
14 2003 112.0 +12.0 pts 77.1% 7,110
15 2002 111.3 +11.3 pts 77.1% 6,275
16 2001 110.4 +10.4 pts 77.1% 6,131
17 2017 110.0 +10.0 pts 94.1% 2,936
18 2018 108.5 +8.5 pts 94.9% 3,002
19 2019 107.1 +7.1 pts 95.5% 2,627

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished older example beats a neglected 2009 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 Boxster 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 Boxster year to buy used?

2009 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 Boxster reliable overall?

Across 81,216 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 116.8 (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.