How reliable is the Daihatsu Materia compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Daihatsu Materia, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 64.6% across 576 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Daihatsu Materia?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 22.9% of failed Daihatsu Materia tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Daihatsu Materia?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 29.3% of all Daihatsu Materia tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Daihatsu Materia usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 91,550 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Model reliability file

Daihatsu Materia MOT pass rate & common failures

From 576 recorded MOT tests of the Daihatsu Materia, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 576 MOT tests, 64.6% of Daihatsu Materia tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Daihatsu Materia fleet does not yet cover a wide enough spread of ages and distances to compare it fairly against other models. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 22.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 91,550 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

64.6%unadjusted, not comparable576 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Materia. The examples tested do not cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages to compare it fairly, and an unadjusted pass rate mostly sorts models by how recently they were bought rather than how well they were built. The failure and advisory patterns below come from the same 576 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Daihatsu Materia tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn22.9%
38 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc14.5%
24 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded12.0%
20 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.4%
19 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.2%
17 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning9.0%
15 occurrencesLamp not working explained
7.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.8%
13 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained
8.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements7.2%
12 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.2%
12 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement7.2%
12 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Daihatsu Materia tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded29.3%
169 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements18.6%
107 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A tyre seriously damaged18.1%
104 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
4.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded13.9%
80 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
5.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired11.8%
68 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.8%
62 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.4%
60 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
8.Exhaust system leaking or insecure8.5%
49 testsExhaust leaking or insecure explained

What gets tested

The Materia fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 91,550
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Check a specific Daihatsu Materia

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Daihatsu models

Daihatsu Sirion — 60.4% unadjusted
Daihatsu Terios — 58.6% unadjusted
Daihatsu Copen — 68.3% unadjusted
Daihatsu Fourtrak — 66.6% unadjusted
Daihatsu Charade — 58.2% unadjusted
Daihatsu Hijet — 62.6% unadjusted
All Daihatsu models

Common questions

How reliable is the Daihatsu Materia compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Daihatsu Materia, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages. Its raw pass rate is 64.6% across 576 tests, but comparing a raw rate between models mostly ranks them by how new they are rather than how good they are. The failure and advisory patterns further down the page are still drawn from real tests and are worth reading.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Daihatsu Materia?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 22.9% of failed Daihatsu Materia tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Daihatsu Materia?: The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 29.3% of all Daihatsu Materia tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Daihatsu Materia usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 91,550 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. No adjusted rate is shown because this model's tested examples do not cover enough of the national age and mileage range for standardisation to mean anything.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.