2021 Toyota Land Cruiser — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 1,064 MOT tests, the 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser recorded a 93.4% pass rate. That is 2.3 percentage points better than large SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 8.9%. Failures cluster in brakes, lighting & signalling and visibility.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — brakes (3.2%) 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 wipers, headlamp aim and brake pads — wipers alone was recorded 35 times.
A 60-90k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 11.0% versus 5.2%.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 11.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 17.1% in 2021 to 7.1% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 3.2% | 34 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 3.2% | 34 |
| 3 | Visibility | 2.8% | 30 |
| 4 | Tyres | 2.2% | 23 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.6% | 6 |
| 6 | Other defects | 0.6% | 6 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 35 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 34 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 26 |
| 4 | Registration plates | 10 |
| 5 | Tyre pressure monitoring system | 9 |
| 6 | Rear fog lamp | 6 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 11.8% | 126 |
| 2 | Tyres | 9.8% | 104 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.3% | 46 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.2% | 45 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.0% | 21 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.1% | 12 |
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 | 483 | 5.2% |
| 30-60k | 399 | 6.0% |
| 60-90k | 118 | 11.0% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,011 | 6.6% |
| Petrol | 53 | 5.7% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | 17.1% |
| 2024 | 491 | 5.9% |
| 2025 | 492 | 7.1% |
What to check before buying a 2021 Land Cruiser
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: brakes accounted for 3.2% of tests. Start there.
- Brakes (3.2% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- 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 (2.8% 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
How many 2021 Toyota Land Cruisers pass their MOT?
93.4% of the 1,064 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 6.6% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser?
Brakes, recorded in 3.2% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (3.2%).
Does the 2021 Land Cruiser get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.2% in the 0-30k band to 11.0% in the 60-90k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,064 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.