Toyota Urban/Cruiser MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 23 model years and 23,475 tests, the Toyota Urban/Cruiser passes its MOT 82.2% of the time. That is 6.2 percentage points better than all cars of a similar age, which fail at 24.0%. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
Best and worst Urban/Cruiser years
Ranked across Urban/Cruiser 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2012 cars pass 85.0% of the time while 2009 cars manage 80.8%, a 4.2-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (9.0%) and brakes (8.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, rigid brake pipes and headlamp aim — position lamp alone was recorded 917 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.7% in the 0-30k band and 21.6% in the 150k+ band, a 12.9-point spread — more than double.
Fuel type barely separates them — diesel fails 17.3% of the time against 18.3% for petrol.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 34.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 16.2% of tests failed in 2021 against 19.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Urban/Cruiser model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 7,360 | 80.8% | 19.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 6,960 | 81.9% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 5,803 | 82.8% | 17.2% | Brakes |
| 2012 | 3,326 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 9.0% | 2,106 |
| 2 | Brakes | 8.5% | 2,001 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.2% | 1,228 |
| 4 | Suspension | 4.8% | 1,134 |
| 5 | Tyres | 3.5% | 827 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.4% | 795 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.3% | 539 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.7% | 154 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Position lamp | 917 |
| 2 | Rigid brake pipes | 875 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 837 |
| 4 | Wipers | 830 |
| 5 | Washers | 617 |
| 6 | Service brake performance | 530 |
| 7 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 517 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 512 |
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 | 34.8% | 8,158 |
| 2 | Tyres | 24.8% | 5,830 |
| 3 | Suspension | 24.2% | 5,677 |
| 4 | Other defects | 13.4% | 3,152 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 13.4% | 3,144 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.6% | 1,774 |
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 | 677 | 8.7% |
| 30-60k | 4,378 | 12.3% |
| 60-90k | 8,624 | 17.3% |
| 90-120k | 6,665 | 20.8% |
| 120-150k | 2,448 | 22.6% |
| 150k+ | 676 | 21.6% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 12,017 | 17.3% |
| Petrol | 11,458 | 18.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,934 | 16.2% |
| 2022 | 4,858 | 16.3% |
| 2023 | 4,782 | 17.9% |
| 2024 | 4,641 | 19.3% |
| 2025 | 4,260 | 19.6% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Urban/Cruiser
- Lighting & signalling (9.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (8.5% 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.
- Visibility (5.2% 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 Urban/Cruiser?
82.2% of the 23,475 Toyota Urban/Cruiser MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.8% fail rate, across model years 1997–2019.
What does the Toyota Urban/Cruiser most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 9.0% of tests, then brakes (8.5%).
Which Urban/Cruiser years are best and worst for MOT results?
2012 has the best pass rate at 85.0% and 2009 the weakest at 80.8%, from 3,326 and 7,360 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Urban/Cruiser MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 21.6% for 150k+, a 12.9-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Urban/Cruiser more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 17.3% of the time against 18.3% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 23,475 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.