Toyota Gt86 MOT pass rate & common failures
36,154 MOT tests on the Toyota Gt86 (1986–2024) give it an 89.4% pass rate. Coupes & convertibles of a similar age fail 12.9% of the time, so this is 2.3pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are tyres, lighting & signalling and visibility.
Best and worst Gt86 years
Ranked across Gt86 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
The strongest year on this record is 2019 (94.6% pass rate); the weakest is 2012 (86.3%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — tyres (3.8%) and lighting & signalling (3.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, catalyst emissions and wipers — tread depth alone was recorded 1,025 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 4.7% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.2% once past 150k — 4.3× the risk.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 19.1% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 8.9% of tests failed in 2021 against 12.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Gt86 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 6,807 | 86.3% | 13.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 8,753 | 87.7% | 12.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 5,141 | 88.6% | 11.4% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 3,954 | 89.6% | 10.4% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 3,444 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 3,377 | 92.4% | 7.6% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 2,420 | 93.6% | 6.4% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 1,467 | 94.6% | 5.4% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 774 | 95.9% | 4.1% | Visibility |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.8% | 1,389 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.2% | 1,159 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.9% | 1,033 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.5% | 887 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 1.9% | 690 |
| 6 | Suspension | 1.8% | 666 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.5% | 184 |
| 8 | Other defects | 0.3% | 120 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 1,025 |
| 2 | Catalyst emissions | 846 |
| 3 | Wipers | 806 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 522 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 475 |
| 6 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 405 |
| 7 | Washers | 381 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 349 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 19.1% | 6,914 |
| 2 | Brakes | 14.3% | 5,160 |
| 3 | Suspension | 6.5% | 2,349 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.5% | 1,614 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 4.0% | 1,430 |
| 6 | Other defects | 3.6% | 1,314 |
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 | 7,653 | 4.7% |
| 30-60k | 14,843 | 9.8% |
| 60-90k | 9,908 | 13.5% |
| 90-120k | 3,061 | 18.0% |
| 120-150k | 578 | 18.5% |
| 150k+ | 109 | 20.2% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 6,877 | 8.9% |
| 2022 | 7,206 | 9.7% |
| 2023 | 7,408 | 10.3% |
| 2024 | 7,334 | 11.8% |
| 2025 | 7,329 | 12.2% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Gt86
- Tyres (3.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (3.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (2.9% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
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 Gt86?
89.4% of the 36,154 Toyota Gt86 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 10.6% fail rate, across model years 1986–2024.
What does the Toyota Gt86 most often fail its MOT on?
Tyres, recorded in 3.8% of tests, then lighting & signalling (3.2%).
Which Gt86 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 94.6% and 2012 the weakest at 86.3%, from 1,467 and 6,807 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Gt86 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.2% for 150k+, a 15.5-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 36,154 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.