Toyota RAV4 MOT failure rate and common faults
116,254 Toyota RAV4 cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 20.2% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.8% of the time, which makes the Toyota RAV4 22% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
20.2%
failed first time
116,254 MOT tests in 2025
-22%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.8%
46 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
68.0
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 96.9
What fails on a Toyota RAV4 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 RAV4 MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 29.7 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 27.8 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 23.0 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 17.8 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 17.2 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 16.8 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 16.7 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength | Suspension | 11.1 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 10.4 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 10.4 |
Toyota RAV4 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 | 10,281 | 5.6% | 11.4% | 30,400 |
| 2021 | 12,336 | 8.6% | 12.8% | 37,700 |
| 2020 | 11,639 | 8.8% | 14.1% | 46,500 |
| 2019 | 8,891 | 9.4% | 16.5% | 51,500 |
| 2018 | 7,376 | 16.8% | 19.1% | 56,700 |
| 2017 | 7,836 | 17.7% | 21.8% | 67,200 |
| 2016 | 7,637 | 18.4% | 25.1% | 73,700 |
| 2015 | 5,368 | 18.7% | 28.1% | 82,600 |
| 2014 | 5,941 | 21.8% | 31.4% | 92,300 |
| 2013 | 5,789 | 24.0% | 34.3% | 97,300 |
| 2012 | 3,252 | 29.0% | 36.6% | 96,600 |
| 2011 | 3,542 | 31.2% | 38.8% | 104,100 |
| 2010 | 3,748 | 34.2% | 40.7% | 110,500 |
| 2009 | 2,900 | 38.6% | 41.8% | 113,600 |
| 2008 | 4,452 | 40.3% | 42.9% | 119,100 |
| 2007 | 5,130 | 41.4% | 42.7% | 121,200 |
| 2006 | 4,558 | 42.0% | 43.0% | 120,400 |
| 2005 | 5,578 | 36.4% | 42.4% | 116,100 |
Advisories to look for in a Toyota RAV4'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 RAV4, 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 edge241.5
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing140.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement132.8
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened111.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin86.0
- Coil spring: corroded80.5
Checking a used Toyota RAV4 before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Toyota RAV4 fails more often than average on seat belts and airbags. Start there.
Seat belts and airbags
Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches, and make sure the airbag warning light goes out after starting.
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.
Fuel mix of the Toyota RAV4 cars tested: Hybrid 51%, Diesel 35%, Petrol 14%. Average age at test 9.7 years, average recorded mileage 74,100.
Toyota RAV4 MOT questions
What is the Toyota RAV4 MOT failure rate?
20.2% of Toyota RAV4 cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 116,254 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.8% of the time, so the Toyota RAV4 was 22% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Toyota RAV4 MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 113 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 29.7 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Toyota RAV4 year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2022 registrations did best: 5.6% failed against an average of 11.4% 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 RAV4 will pass?
No. These are averages across every Toyota RAV4 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 Corolla18.6% failed
- Toyota C-HR14.1% failed
Ranked close to the Toyota RAV4
- BMW X3rank 43
- Audi Q3rank 44
- BMW 3 Seriesrank 45
- Mercedes-Benz CLSrank 47
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 RAV4 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.