Toyota Hilux MOT failure rate and common faults
68,457 Toyota Hilux pickups aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 29.1% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.0% of the time, which makes the Toyota Hilux 17% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
29.1%
failed first time
68,457 MOT tests in 2025
+17%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.0%
7 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
90.8
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 94.7
What fails on a Toyota Hilux MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Toyota Hilux MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 43.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 39.7 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 29.2 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 26.5 |
| Parking brake efficiency: efficiency below requirements | Brakes | 25.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 23.6 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 21.9 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 20.7 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 20.0 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 19.4 |
Toyota Hilux MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,215 | 14.9% | 11.4% | 41,500 |
| 2021 | 8,115 | 17.4% | 12.8% | 52,100 |
| 2020 | 4,907 | 19.8% | 14.1% | 59,400 |
| 2019 | 4,985 | 20.8% | 16.5% | 72,700 |
| 2018 | 5,264 | 23.7% | 19.1% | 82,300 |
| 2017 | 4,850 | 24.9% | 21.8% | 91,400 |
| 2016 | 4,319 | 30.6% | 25.1% | 95,100 |
| 2015 | 5,346 | 35.0% | 28.1% | 100,000 |
| 2014 | 4,662 | 36.8% | 31.4% | 106,400 |
| 2013 | 3,742 | 39.7% | 34.3% | 110,700 |
| 2012 | 3,624 | 40.9% | 36.6% | 118,600 |
| 2011 | 3,422 | 42.5% | 38.8% | 125,700 |
| 2010 | 2,207 | 43.0% | 40.7% | 134,800 |
| 2009 | 1,599 | 41.9% | 41.8% | 137,600 |
| 2008 | 1,747 | 43.2% | 42.9% | 142,900 |
| 2007 | 1,583 | 41.0% | 42.7% | 147,400 |
| 2006 | 871 | 41.1% | 43.0% | 146,500 |
| 2005 | 999 | 40.9% | 42.4% | 154,300 |
Advisories to look for in a Toyota Hilux's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Toyota Hilux, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge188.8
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material118.6
- Brake pads: wearing thin79.7
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing57.6
- Chassis condition: is corroded but structural rigidity is not significantly reduced56.0
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil42.0
Checking a used Toyota Hilux before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Toyota Hilux fails more often than average on lights and electrics, brakes and suspension. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Toyota Hilux MOT questions
What is the Toyota Hilux MOT failure rate?
29.1% of Toyota Hilux pickups failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 68,457 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.0% of the time, so the Toyota Hilux was 17% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Toyota Hilux MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 231 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 43.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Toyota Hilux year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2007 registrations did best: 41.0% failed against an average of 42.7% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Toyota Hilux will pass?
No. These are averages across every Toyota Hilux tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Toyota models
- Toyota Yaris26.1% failed
- Toyota Aygo24.2% failed
- Toyota Prius21.4% failed
- Toyota Auris28.1% failed
- Toyota RAV420.2% failed
- Toyota Corolla18.6% failed
Ranked close to the Toyota Hilux
- Volkswagen Caddyrank 4
- Mitsubishi L200rank 5
- Mercedes-Benz Vitorank 6
- Fiat Doblorank 8
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Toyota Hilux pickups of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.