2017 Toyota Yaris — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2017 Toyota Yaris passed 90.3% of its 148,025 recorded MOT tests. Against superminis of a similar age (13.4% fail rate), the 2017 Yaris comes out 3.7pp better. Failures cluster in lighting & signalling, visibility and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (4.5%) and visibility (3.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wheel bearings, wipers and tread depth — wheel bearings alone was recorded 4,226 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 21.5% versus 5.9%.
Fuel type barely separates them — petrol fails 9.4% of the time against 10.6% for diesel.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 22.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 6.4% of tests failed in 2021 against 12.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 4.5% | 6,622 |
| 2 | Visibility | 3.9% | 5,779 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.5% | 5,102 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.3% | 4,881 |
| 5 | Brakes | 1.8% | 2,629 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.2% | 319 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wheel bearings | 4,226 |
| 2 | Wipers | 4,079 |
| 3 | Tread depth | 2,244 |
| 4 | Side repeaters | 2,213 |
| 5 | Headlamp aim | 2,086 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 1,764 |
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 | 22.0% | 32,583 |
| 2 | Brakes | 12.6% | 18,677 |
| 3 | Suspension | 9.2% | 13,555 |
| 4 | Other defects | 5.1% | 7,496 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.5% | 3,758 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 1.9% | 2,746 |
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 | 67,468 | 5.9% |
| 30-60k | 62,682 | 11.9% |
| 60-90k | 14,211 | 15.5% |
| 90-120k | 2,764 | 16.4% |
| 120-150k | 617 | 17.2% |
| 150k+ | 279 | 21.5% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 81,844 | 9.4% |
| Hybrid | 64,936 | 10.0% |
| Diesel | 1,239 | 10.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28,697 | 6.4% |
| 2022 | 29,345 | 8.4% |
| 2023 | 29,732 | 9.8% |
| 2024 | 29,875 | 11.1% |
| 2025 | 30,376 | 12.6% |
What to check before buying a 2017 Yaris
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: lighting & signalling accounted for 4.5% of tests. Start there.
- Lighting & signalling (4.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Visibility (3.9% 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.
- Tyres (3.5% 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.
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 2017 Toyota Yariss pass their MOT?
90.3% of the 148,025 2017 Toyota Yaris MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 9.7% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2017 Toyota Yaris?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 4.5% of tests, followed by visibility (3.9%).
Does the 2017 Yaris get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.9% in the 0-30k band to 21.5% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 148,025 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.