Toyota Prius MOT failure rate and common faults
157,249 Toyota Prius cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 21.4% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 28.1% of the time, which makes the Toyota Prius 24% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
21.4%
failed first time
157,249 MOT tests in 2025
-24%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 28.1%
37 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
71.4
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 104.8
What fails on a Toyota Prius 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 Prius 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 | 39.8 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 27.8 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 24.2 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 23.0 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 18.0 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 15.7 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 14.4 |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam | Lights and electrics | 13.0 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 12.5 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 10.9 |
Toyota Prius 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 | 1,687 | 7.6% | 11.4% | 51,700 |
| 2021 | 3,174 | 7.9% | 12.8% | 60,300 |
| 2020 | 10,115 | 11.0% | 14.1% | 72,000 |
| 2019 | 16,900 | 11.9% | 16.5% | 98,300 |
| 2018 | 15,241 | 12.3% | 19.1% | 109,100 |
| 2017 | 15,338 | 13.3% | 21.8% | 124,700 |
| 2016 | 14,611 | 16.2% | 25.1% | 149,300 |
| 2015 | 13,215 | 21.9% | 28.1% | 174,000 |
| 2014 | 10,727 | 23.6% | 31.4% | 161,200 |
| 2013 | 8,173 | 26.8% | 34.3% | 164,000 |
| 2012 | 7,829 | 27.9% | 36.6% | 176,000 |
| 2011 | 6,992 | 31.7% | 38.8% | 187,900 |
| 2010 | 9,249 | 32.8% | 40.7% | 185,200 |
| 2009 | 6,573 | 34.8% | 41.8% | 171,000 |
| 2008 | 6,129 | 36.4% | 42.9% | 161,600 |
| 2007 | 6,056 | 37.0% | 42.7% | 156,300 |
| 2006 | 3,162 | 39.3% | 43.0% | 161,500 |
| 2005 | 2,078 | 37.9% | 42.4% | 160,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Toyota Prius'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 Prius, 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 edge178.6
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened80.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing66.9
- Brake pads: wearing thin62.5
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material49.6
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement48.2
Checking a used Toyota Prius before you buy
The Toyota Prius has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
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.
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.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
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 Prius MOT questions
What is the Toyota Prius MOT failure rate?
21.4% of Toyota Prius cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 157,249 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 28.1% of the time, so the Toyota Prius was 24% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Toyota Prius MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 176 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 39.8 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Toyota Prius year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2017 registrations did best: 13.3% failed against an average of 21.8% 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 Prius will pass?
No. These are averages across every Toyota Prius 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 Auris28.1% failed
- Toyota RAV420.2% failed
- Toyota Corolla18.6% failed
- Toyota C-HR14.1% failed
Ranked close to the Toyota Prius
- BMW X1rank 34
- Honda CR-Vrank 35
- Land Rover Defenderrank 36
- Volkswagen Uprank 38
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 Prius cars 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.