2020 Toyota Proace City — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 755 MOT tests, the 2020 Toyota Proace City recorded an 88.2% pass rate. All cars of a similar age fail 9.4% of the time, so this is 2.4pp worse than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, visibility and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (8.6%) and visibility (6.9%) 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 44 times.
A 90-120k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 17.6% versus 12.6%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 24.2% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 10.3% of tests failed in 2023 against 12.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 8.6% | 65 |
| 2 | Visibility | 6.9% | 52 |
| 3 | Brakes | 4.4% | 33 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.1% | 31 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 0.9% | 7 |
| 6 | Steering | 0.4% | 3 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 44 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 34 |
| 3 | Brake pads | 25 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 23 |
| 5 | Headlamp | 23 |
| 6 | Brake discs | 16 |
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 | 24.2% | 183 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.3% | 153 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 7.0% | 53 |
| 4 | Visibility | 6.5% | 49 |
| 5 | Other defects | 4.0% | 30 |
| 6 | Suspension | 2.6% | 20 |
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 | 167 | 12.6% |
| 30-60k | 306 | 9.2% |
| 60-90k | 191 | 13.1% |
| 90-120k | 74 | 17.6% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 244 | 10.3% |
| 2024 | 262 | 13.0% |
| 2025 | 249 | 12.0% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Proace City
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: lighting & signalling accounted for 8.6% of tests. Start there.
- Lighting & signalling (8.6% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (6.9% 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.
- Brakes (4.4% 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.
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 2020 Toyota Proace Citys pass their MOT?
88.2% of the 755 2020 Toyota Proace City MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 11.8% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Toyota Proace City?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 8.6% of tests, followed by visibility (6.9%).
Does the 2020 Proace City get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 12.6% in the 0-30k band to 17.6% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 755 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.