Toyota Verso MOT pass rate & common failures
The Toyota Verso appears in 168,346 MOT tests spanning model years 2000–2021, and 84.1% of them passed. Against MPVs of a similar age (20.6% fail rate), the Verso comes out 4.7pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, tyres and brakes.
Best and worst Verso years
Ranked across Verso 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 2017 (90.4% pass rate); the weakest is 2010 (78.8%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
Lighting & signalling dominates the failure mix at 12.5% of all tests — 7.6 points clear of tyres, so it is the first thing to check.
At component level the recurring items are position lamp, wipers and headlamp aim — position lamp alone was recorded 10,364 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.6% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 22.2% once past 150k — 2.9× the risk.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.6pp more often than petrol ones (18.0% vs 14.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 28.2% of tests without failing them.
The trend is worsening — 14.0% of tests failed in 2021 against 18.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Verso model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 85 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 171 | 77.8% | 22.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 168 | 83.3% | 16.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 303 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 516 | 79.3% | 20.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 12,171 | 80.5% | 19.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 19,687 | 78.8% | 21.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 24,069 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 18,348 | 81.5% | 18.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 19,542 | 83.6% | 16.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 17,467 | 85.3% | 14.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 18,417 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 19,946 | 88.0% | 12.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 12,735 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 4,665 | 90.3% | 9.7% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.5% | 20,990 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.9% | 8,208 |
| 3 | Brakes | 4.6% | 7,782 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.4% | 7,403 |
| 5 | Suspension | 4.2% | 6,992 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.1% | 1,877 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.0% | 1,755 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.8% | 1,381 |
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 | 10,364 |
| 2 | Wipers | 5,697 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 5,152 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 4,044 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 3,913 |
| 6 | Individual direction indicators | 3,444 |
| 7 | Registration plate lamp(s) | 3,404 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 3,049 |
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 | 28.2% | 47,560 |
| 2 | Tyres | 26.5% | 44,559 |
| 3 | Suspension | 16.7% | 28,033 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 11.2% | 18,786 |
| 5 | Other defects | 11.0% | 18,579 |
| 6 | Visibility | 4.7% | 7,970 |
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 | 11,591 | 7.6% |
| 30-60k | 42,573 | 11.2% |
| 60-90k | 48,219 | 15.7% |
| 90-120k | 33,581 | 19.6% |
| 120-150k | 16,830 | 21.3% |
| 150k+ | 15,531 | 22.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 94,567 | 14.4% |
| Diesel | 73,704 | 18.0% |
| Gas/LPG | 39 | 25.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34,448 | 14.0% |
| 2022 | 34,374 | 15.0% |
| 2023 | 33,923 | 16.1% |
| 2024 | 33,205 | 16.9% |
| 2025 | 32,396 | 18.0% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Verso
- Lighting & signalling (12.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (4.9% 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.
- Brakes (4.6% 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 Verso?
84.1% of the 168,346 Toyota Verso MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.9% fail rate, across model years 2000–2021.
What does the Toyota Verso most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.5% of tests, then tyres (4.9%).
Which Verso years are best and worst for MOT results?
2017 has the best pass rate at 90.4% and 2010 the weakest at 78.8%, from 12,735 and 19,687 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Verso MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.2% for 150k+, a 14.5-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Verso more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 14.4% of the time against 18.0% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 168,346 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.