Reliability report
Porsche 986 reliability and common faults
Based on 1,018 roadworthiness tests, led by the UK MOT. Each country is compared only with its own average for cars of the same age.
🇳🇱 Netherlands · APK
43.7%
with defects · average 68.4%
much better than average
1,018 APK inspections (RDW)
Testing regimes differ from country to country – don’t compare the figures between countries; compare each one only with its own average. MOT data: contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Weak spots
What goes wrong on the Porsche 986
How often each area fails compared with the average car of the same age (vertical line = average, 100%). Red – more often than average.
Tyres
Lights and electrics
Visibility
Wheels
Suspension
Plates and identification
Seat belts and airbags
Brakes
Steering
Exhaust and emissions
Most common test failures
- 1Excessive leakage of other fluids
- 2Tyre pressure not at correct value
- 3Tyre(s) with tread depth of 1.6 to 2.5 mm
- 4Low beam incorrectly adjusted
Results by vehicle age
| Age | 🇬🇧 MOT fail rate | 🇳🇱 APK defects |
|---|---|---|
| 21+ years | — | 43.7% avg 68.4% |
Porsche 986 – FAQs
How reliable is the Porsche 986?+
In the Netherlands, inspectors found defects at 43.7% of APK inspections (average there 68.4%) – much better than average.
What should I check when buying a used Porsche 986?+
The most common inspection failures: Excessive leakage of other fluids; Tyre pressure not at correct value; Tyre(s) with tread depth of 1.6 to 2.5 mm; Low beam incorrectly adjusted. Before you buy, also check the free MOT history on GOV.UK and the car’s history by reg or VIN (mileage, damage, theft).
More Porsche models
Sources: anonymised MOT test results (DVSA) – contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; APK inspection defects (RDW, open data); Lithuanian roadworthiness test results (data.gov.lt). Initial tests only; retests are not counted. Photo: Trincerone, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons (licence).