2025 MOT results
Toyota Yaris common problems
The most common reason a Toyota Yaris fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 13.6% of its 128,306 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a wheel bearings rough when rotated at 4.6% of failures against 1.1% expected; an indicator repeater out at 3.8% of failures against 1.6% expected; a number plate lamp out at 7.0% of failures against 3.7% expected.
- Tests in 2025 477,833 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 26.9% 128,306 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.4% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 50.9% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Toyota Yaris MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Toyota Yaris tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 13.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 10.5% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.4% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.0% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.9% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 5.9% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.4% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.0% |
| Wheel bearings: rough when rotated Suspension | 4.6% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.3% |
| Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.8% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
13.6% of failures 9.6% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Broken coil spring
11.6% of failures 8.6% expected somewhat more often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
10.5% of failures 6.6% expected 1.6 times as often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Brake light out
7.4% of failures 7.2% expected about as expected
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Number plate lamp out
7.0% of failures 3.7% expected 1.9 times as often
The lamp over the rear number plate not working, so the plate cannot be read at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.9% of failures 7.7% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Toyota Yaris, on 47.7% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 40.1%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 47.7% |
| Suspension | 33.3% |
| Visibility | 20.3% |
| Brakes | 18.3% |
| Tyres | 17.7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
50.9% of Toyota Yaris tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Toyota Yarises, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 15.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.7% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 6.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 6.7% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 5.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 4.2% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.7% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.6% |
| Component mounting prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive Suspension | 2.5% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.5% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 2.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Toyota Yaris gets older
A 2022 Toyota Yaris failed 7.5% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2000 one failed 44.7%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Toyota Yaris 7.5% failed, from 36,208 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 17.9%
- Headlamp aim set too high 16.6%
- Cut tyre 14.8%
- Leaking damper 9.1%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.3%
- Washers that do not work 5.1%
2000 Toyota Yaris 44.7% failed, from 2,799 tests
- Structural corrosion 19.6%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 13.1%
- Headlamp aim out of line 11.7%
- Sidelight out 9.0%
- Brake light out 9.0%
- Broken coil spring 7.9%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Toyota Yaris problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Toyota Yaris?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 13.6% of failed Toyota Yaris tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 47.7% of failed tests.
How often does a Toyota Yaris fail its MOT?
26.9% of Toyota Yaris tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 477,833 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 54 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Toyota Yaris than on other cars?
Yes. “Wheel bearings: rough when rotated” appears on 4.6% of its failures against 1.1% for cars of the same age, and “Side repeaters: not working” appears on 3.8% of its failures against 1.6% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Toyota Yaris aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 477,833 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.