How reliable is the Toyota Aqua compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Toyota Aqua, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 82.3% across 1,065 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 do testers most often warn about on a Toyota Aqua?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 11.1% of all Toyota Aqua tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Toyota Aqua usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 61,162 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.

Does a Toyota Aqua get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 87.5% of Toyota Aqua tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 78.4%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Toyota Aqua models petrol or diesel?

Of the Toyota Aqua cars tested, 94% are hybrid, 6% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Toyota Aqua MOT pass rate & common failures

From 1,065 recorded MOT tests of the Toyota Aqua, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 1,065 MOT tests, 82.3% of Toyota Aqua tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Toyota Aqua 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 joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, which appears in 32.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 61,162 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

82.3%unadjusted, not comparable1,065 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the Aqua. 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 1,065 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc32.5%
41 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
2.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning21.4%
27 occurrencesLamp not working explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.3%
18 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning14.3%
18 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen13.5%
17 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
6.Front or rear fog lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements13.5%
17 occurrencesLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
7.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning12.7%
16 occurrencesLamp not working explained
8.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage11.9%
15 occurrencesShock absorber defective explained
9.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc11.1%
14 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
10.Front or rear fog lamp switch inoperative or not operating in accordance with the requirements8.7%
11 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.1%
118 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A tyre seriously damaged9.4%
100 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn5.9%
63 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow2.7%
29 testsLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
5.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage2.2%
23 testsShock absorber defective explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm2.1%
22 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements1.4%
15 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
8.Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt1.2%
13 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs88%

9–11 yrs87%

12–14 yrs78%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Aqua fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 61,162
Fuel mix of tested cars: Hybrid93.6%
Petrol5.9%

Trim names grouped into this model (8)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

AQUA 1.5
AQUA AUTO
AQUA HYBRID
AQUA HYBRID AUTO
AQUA HYBRID AUTOMATIC
AQUA HYBRID AUTOMATIC CVT
AQUA S HYBRID AUTO
TOYOTA AQUA

Check a specific Toyota Aqua

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

Compare within the range

Other Toyota models

Toyota Yaris — 72.3% adjusted
Toyota Aygo — 70.4% adjusted
Toyota Prius — 81.4% adjusted
Toyota Auris — 72.6% adjusted
Toyota Corolla — 78.8% adjusted
Toyota RAV4 — 79.0% adjusted
All Toyota models

Common questions

How reliable is the Toyota Aqua compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Toyota Aqua, 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 82.3% across 1,065 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 Toyota Aqua?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 32.5% of failed Toyota Aqua 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 Toyota Aqua?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 11.1% of all Toyota Aqua tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Toyota Aqua usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 61,162 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.
Does a Toyota Aqua get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 87.5% of Toyota Aqua tests pass. By 12 to 14 years, that falls to 78.4%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Toyota Aqua models petrol or diesel?: Of the Toyota Aqua cars tested, 94% are hybrid, 6% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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.