Toyota Verso MOT failure rate and common faults
26,960 Toyota Verso cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 30.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 32.6% of the time, which makes the Toyota Verso 7% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
30.3%
failed first time
26,960 MOT tests in 2025
-7%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 32.6%
100 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
95.1
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 117.2
What fails on a Toyota Verso 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 Verso 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 | 78.3 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 35.1 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 33.9 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 28.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 25.6 |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights and electrics | 24.0 |
| Individual direction indicators: incorrect colour | Lights and electrics | 21.4 |
| Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded | Brakes | 21.0 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 20.7 |
| Horn: not working | Lights and electrics | 19.8 |
Toyota Verso 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 835 | 19.3% | 19.1% | 65,300 |
| 2017 | 2,297 | 19.2% | 21.8% | 68,400 |
| 2016 | 3,468 | 24.4% | 25.1% | 83,000 |
| 2015 | 3,157 | 25.3% | 28.1% | 89,300 |
| 2014 | 2,886 | 29.7% | 31.4% | 94,600 |
| 2013 | 3,135 | 30.2% | 34.3% | 106,000 |
| 2012 | 2,830 | 35.4% | 36.6% | 106,200 |
| 2011 | 3,672 | 35.1% | 38.8% | 103,100 |
| 2010 | 2,801 | 39.5% | 40.7% | 120,000 |
| 2009 | 1,741 | 38.2% | 41.8% | 121,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Toyota Verso'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 Verso, 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 edge268.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened185.1
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing151.8
- Brake pads: wearing thin136.4
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material136.2
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement111.3
Checking a used Toyota Verso before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Toyota Verso fails more often than average on lights and electrics. 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.
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 Verso cars tested: Petrol 58%, Diesel 41%. Average age at test 11.8 years, average recorded mileage 97,600.
Toyota Verso MOT questions
What is the Toyota Verso MOT failure rate?
30.3% of Toyota Verso cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 26,960 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 32.6% of the time, so the Toyota Verso was 7% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Toyota Verso MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 255 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Position lamp: not working", recorded 78.3 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Toyota Verso year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2017 registrations did best: 19.2% 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 Verso will pass?
No. These are averages across every Toyota Verso 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 Verso
- Volkswagen Sharanrank 97
- Mazda CX-5rank 98
- Mitsubishi ASXrank 99
- Vauxhall Vivarank 101
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 Verso 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.