Toyota RAV4 MOT pass rate & common failures
729,523 MOT tests on the Toyota RAV4 (1994–2025) give it an 83.7% pass rate. That is 4.0 percentage points better than mid-size SUVs of a similar age, which fail at 20.3%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst RAV4 years
Ranked across RAV4 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 2022 (96.5% pass rate); the weakest is 1995 (69.4%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (7.8%) and suspension (7.0%) 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 position lamp — wipers alone was recorded 24,002 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 4.2% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 28.5% once past 150k — 6.8× the risk.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 15.3pp more often than hybrid ones (22.0% vs 6.7%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 23.9% of tests without failing them.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 17.6% in 2021 to 15.4% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every RAV4 model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 361 | 69.0% | 31.0% | Emissions & environmental |
| 1995 | 1,634 | 69.4% | 30.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 2,513 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Suspension |
| 1997 | 3,402 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 5,666 | 72.3% | 27.7% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 4,803 | 73.8% | 26.2% | Suspension |
| 2000 | 5,844 | 74.4% | 25.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 13,580 | 75.1% | 24.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 24,361 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 33,506 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 41,781 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 45,348 | 77.3% | 22.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 39,501 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 41,970 | 74.7% | 25.3% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 34,103 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 21,020 | 78.2% | 21.8% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 24,726 | 80.8% | 19.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 22,834 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 19,984 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 34,474 | 86.9% | 13.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 35,104 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 31,020 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 42,807 | 90.0% | 10.1% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 43,291 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Visibility |
| 2018 | 40,186 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 38,862 | 95.0% | 5.0% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 38,458 | 95.2% | 4.8% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 26,536 | 95.1% | 4.9% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 11,463 | 96.5% | 3.5% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 290 | 98.3% | 1.7% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 84 | 97.6% | 2.4% | Emissions & environmental |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 7.8% | 56,796 |
| 2 | Suspension | 7.0% | 51,307 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.4% | 39,089 |
| 4 | Visibility | 3.9% | 28,523 |
| 5 | Tyres | 3.3% | 24,173 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.9% | 21,465 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 18,917 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.0% | 7,512 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 24,002 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 23,099 |
| 3 | Position lamp | 20,396 |
| 4 | Headlamp | 17,207 |
| 5 | Brake pads | 14,513 |
| 6 | Pins and bushes | 14,140 |
| 7 | Tread depth | 13,005 |
| 8 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 11,956 |
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 | 23.9% | 174,747 |
| 2 | Tyres | 22.4% | 163,182 |
| 3 | Suspension | 22.3% | 162,438 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.3% | 68,139 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 8.8% | 64,254 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.3% | 53,240 |
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 | 88,249 | 4.2% |
| 30-60k | 163,619 | 8.7% |
| 60-90k | 160,186 | 15.4% |
| 90-120k | 155,016 | 21.4% |
| 120-150k | 103,150 | 25.8% |
| 150k+ | 59,111 | 28.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 290,920 | 18.6% |
| Petrol | 233,794 | 22.0% |
| Hybrid | 204,704 | 6.7% |
| Other | 38 | 5.3% |
| Electric | 34 | 17.6% |
| Gas/LPG | 33 | 27.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 138,256 | 17.6% |
| 2022 | 141,699 | 17.1% |
| 2023 | 146,502 | 16.2% |
| 2024 | 150,506 | 15.6% |
| 2025 | 152,560 | 15.4% |
What to check before buying a Toyota RAV4
- Lighting & signalling (7.8% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (7.0% 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.
- Brakes (5.4% 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
What is the MOT pass rate for the Toyota RAV4?
83.7% of the 729,523 Toyota RAV4 MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 16.4% fail rate, across model years 1994–2025.
What does the Toyota RAV4 most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 7.8% of tests, then suspension (7.0%).
Which RAV4 years are best and worst for MOT results?
2022 has the best pass rate at 96.5% and 1995 the weakest at 69.4%, from 11,463 and 1,634 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect RAV4 MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 28.5% for 150k+, a 24.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol RAV4 more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 6.7% of the time against 22.0% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 729,523 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.