Is the Toyota Avensis reliable?

On MOT evidence the Toyota Avensis is above average. It passes 75.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What do testers most often warn about on a Toyota Avensis?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.0% of all Toyota Avensis tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 123,070 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 Avensis get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 81.0% of Toyota Avensis tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.4%. 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 Avensis models petrol or diesel?

Of the Toyota Avensis cars tested, 52% are diesel, 47% are petrol, 1% are lpg. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Toyota Avensis MOT pass rate & common failures

From 55,130 recorded MOT tests of the Toyota Avensis, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Toyota Avensis passes 75.2% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average. Based on 55,130 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, which appears in 18.8% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 123,070 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

75.2%national average72.3%unadjusted65.5%range covered84%

The Avensis is 2.9 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 65.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

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

1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning18.8%
2,732 occurrencesLamp not working explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.5%
2,105 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.7%
1,693 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.2%
1,473 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements9.0%
1,304 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
6.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.7%
1,255 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
7.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.5%
1,237 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
8.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded6.6%
958 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
9.A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.2%
904 occurrencesDirection indicator not working explained
10.A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED5.7%
832 occurrencesHeadlamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Toyota Avensis 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 requirements25.0%
13,781 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded15.8%
8,718 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured14.8%
8,136 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn14.5%
7,981 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged12.0%
6,638 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm11.6%
6,414 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.6%
5,830 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.2%
5,621 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs81%

9–11 yrs76%

12–14 yrs68%

15+ yrs59%

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

What gets tested

The Avensis fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 123,070
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel52.0%
Petrol47.5%
LPG0.5%

Check a specific Toyota Avensis

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

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Ford Galaxy — 70.3% adjusted, ranked 170
Peugeot Boxer — 71.4% adjusted, ranked 157
Mercedes-Benz SLK — 69.3% adjusted, ranked 178
Peugeot Expert — 68.2% adjusted, ranked 193

Common questions

Is the Toyota Avensis reliable?: On MOT evidence the Toyota Avensis is above average. It passes 75.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 84% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Toyota Avensis?: The item recorded most often is "A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning", which appears in 18.8% of failed Toyota Avensis 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 Avensis?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 25.0% of all Toyota Avensis tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Toyota Avensis usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 123,070 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 Avensis get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 81.0% of Toyota Avensis tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.4%. 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 Avensis models petrol or diesel?: Of the Toyota Avensis cars tested, 52% are diesel, 47% are petrol, 1% are lpg. 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. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

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.