Subaru

Which year Subaru Legacy is most reliable?

Based on 30,990 vehicles (1990–2013) and millions of DVLA MOT records.

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Not just "newer is more reliable"
These rankings compare each year at the same mileage point — a 2003 Legacy at 80,000 miles is judged against a 2014 Legacy at 80,000 miles, not its full lifetime average. Verdicts are also relative to this model's own average, not a universal scale. That's the difference between "old cars wear out" and "this year is genuinely more or less reliable."
Years to look for
2010–2013
Above-average pass rate — these years consistently do better than other Legacys
Worth extra checks
1995
Lowest pass rate at 70.1% — years are closely matched but this one trails the rest
See common failures for 1995 →
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Dataset
30,990
vehicles · 1990–2013 · millions of MOT records
CarHunch sweet spot — 1990, 1992, 2003–2010
These years hit the reliability-to-value sweet spot: a 74.2–80.2% pass rate, well above this model's median, but old enough to have depreciated significantly from peak price. If budget matters alongside reliability, start your search here.

Pass rate by year

Year Pass rate Vehicles
2013
82.7%
200 Recommended
2012
83.3%
285 Recommended
2011
80.7%
547 Recommended
2010
80.2%
698 Recommended
2009
79.0%
798
2008
77.8%
876
2007
77.7%
886
2006
76.8%
1,475
2005
76.0%
1,910
2004
75.0%
2,000
2003
74.2%
1,558
2002
73.3%
1,346
2001
73.1%
2,043
2000
72.1%
2,285
1999
72.6%
2,550
1998
72.1%
2,613
1997
72.3%
1,912
1996
71.8%
1,785
1995
70.1%
1,478
1994
71.1%
1,270
1993
71.0%
788
1992
74.3%
756
1991
72.9%
596
1990
74.3%
335

Click any year to see full MOT history, common faults and comparisons for those cars. Verdicts are relative to this model's own average — a good Land Rover year is judged differently from a good Toyota year.

How each year holds up at higher mileage

Each line is a different model year. The mileage ranges are divided into 5 equal groups based on how this model is actually driven in the real world — so you're comparing like-for-like, not arbitrary round numbers.

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At high mileage (130k–+), the 2013 models maintain a 76% pass rate — 6 points higher than 1990 models at the same mileage.

Only years with enough data across at least 3 mileage ranges are shown. Newer years appear in blue; older years in amber.

How is this measured?

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What "pass rate" means

The percentage of all MOT tests that resulted in a pass — counted across a car's whole life, not just its first test. Higher means fewer failures over time.

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Mileage groups built from real data

We split this model's real-world mileage history into 5 equal groups — so each slice contains the same number of cars, not an arbitrary round number like "0–30,000 miles."

Does age still matter?

Yes. A low-mileage 20-year-old car has still had 20 years of weather, perishing rubber, and ageing electrics. Comparing at the same mileage narrows the gap between old and new — but doesn't erase it entirely.

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Why this beats surveys

Our figures come from the DVLA's national MOT database — over 50 million real test results from accredited garages, with no opinions involved. Most reliability guides are based on owner surveys with a few hundred responses per model.

What next?
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