Toyota Alphard- MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 33 model years and 53,559 tests, the Toyota Alphard- passes its MOT 81.9% of the time. That is 3.3 percentage points better than all cars of a similar age, which fail at 21.4%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and tyres.
Best and worst Alphard- years
Ranked across Alphard- years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Not every year is equal — 87.3% of 2012 examples pass against 77.7% of 2015 ones.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.9% of tests against 7.1% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, rear fog lamp and linkage ball joint dust cover — headlamp aim alone was recorded 2,707 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 10.3% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 26.6% once past 150k — 2.6× the risk.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 17.4% of the time against 18.2% for hybrid.
Suspension is the most common advisory, noted on 28.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Alphard- model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 695 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 2,235 | 78.3% | 21.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 4,212 | 80.1% | 19.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 4,311 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 6,404 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 6,765 | 84.2% | 15.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 4,630 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 1,204 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 1,644 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 695 | 85.5% | 14.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 1,011 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 833 | 89.2% | 10.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 806 | 81.9% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 1,917 | 77.7% | 22.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 2,669 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 3,090 | 78.1% | 21.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 2,637 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 2,370 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 2,640 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2021 | 2,610 | 82.9% | 17.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 87 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2023 | 48 | 93.8% | 6.3% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.9% | 6,391 |
| 2 | Suspension | 7.1% | 3,806 |
| 3 | Tyres | 4.2% | 2,236 |
| 4 | Brakes | 3.7% | 1,999 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.4% | 1,838 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.0% | 1,048 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.7% | 902 |
| 8 | Steering | 0.8% | 448 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 2,707 |
| 2 | Rear fog lamp | 2,512 |
| 3 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 1,855 |
| 4 | Wipers | 1,625 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 1,549 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 1,417 |
| 7 | Headlamp | 1,268 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 1,197 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 28.2% | 15,115 |
| 2 | Tyres | 21.1% | 11,293 |
| 3 | Brakes | 15.9% | 8,500 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 12.2% | 6,505 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 5.3% | 2,853 |
| 6 | Other defects | 4.9% | 2,631 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 1,131 | 10.3% |
| 30-60k | 11,055 | 13.5% |
| 60-90k | 21,624 | 16.8% |
| 90-120k | 11,678 | 20.9% |
| 120-150k | 5,241 | 23.7% |
| 150k+ | 2,801 | 26.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 46,369 | 18.2% |
| Petrol | 7,160 | 17.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7,811 | 17.5% |
| 2022 | 9,488 | 17.4% |
| 2023 | 11,013 | 17.6% |
| 2024 | 12,199 | 18.9% |
| 2025 | 13,048 | 18.6% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Alphard-
- Lighting & signalling (11.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (7.1% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Tyres (4.2% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Toyota Alphard-?
81.9% of the 53,559 Toyota Alphard- MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.1% fail rate, across model years 1993–2025.
What does the Toyota Alphard- most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.9% of tests, then suspension (7.1%).
Which Alphard- years are best and worst for MOT results?
2012 has the best pass rate at 87.3% and 2015 the weakest at 77.7%, from 1,011 and 1,917 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Alphard- MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.3% for cars in the 0-30k band and 26.6% for 150k+, a 16.3-point difference.
Is the petrol or hybrid Alphard- more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 17.4% of the time against 18.2% for the hybrid. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 53,559 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.