Toyota Hilux MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Hilux is 1.1 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 69.9%; 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 Hilux tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning14.0%

   2,545 occurrencesLamp not working explained

2. 2.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen11.5%

   2,097 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

3. 3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded11.1%

   2,025 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained

4. 4.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement11.1%

   2,022 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained

5. 5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened11.0%

   2,002 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

6. 6.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 repaired10.4%

   1,892 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

7. 7.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.4%

   1,524 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

8. 8.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 functioning8.0%

   1,460 occurrencesLamp not working explained

9. 9.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.9%

   1,438 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

10. 10.Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point7.8%

    1,413 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1. 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements16.5%

   12,400 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

2. 2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded12.8%

   9,649 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

3. 3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.9%

   5,937 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

4. 4.A tyre seriously damaged6.1%

   4,614 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

5. 5.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced5.9%

   4,419 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained

6. 6.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage4.1%

   3,099 testsShock absorber defective explained

7. 7.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured4.0%

   3,039 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

8. 8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users3.6%

   2,742 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

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

What gets tested

The Hilux fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

96,273

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel99.6%

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

• Mitsubishi Outlander — 73.8% adjusted, ranked 124
• Skoda Yeti — 72.3% adjusted, ranked 143
• Volvo XC90 — 77.6% adjusted, ranked 78
• Mercedes-Benz CLA — 78.6% adjusted, ranked 67

Common questions

Is the Toyota Hilux reliable?

On MOT evidence the Toyota Hilux is below average. It passes 71.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 158 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. 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 Hilux?

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 14.0% of failed Toyota Hilux 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 Hilux?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 16.5% of all Toyota Hilux tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 96,273 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 Hilux get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 82.8% of Toyota Hilux tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 58.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Toyota