How reliable is the Toyota IQ compared with other cars?

We do not publish a comparison for the Toyota IQ, because the cars of this model that have been tested do not cover a wide enough range of ages and mileages.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 73.8% across 16,621 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 IQ?

The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 22.3% of all Toyota IQ tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 72,900 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.

Which Toyota IQ years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Toyota IQ cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 83.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 71.8%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

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

Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 83.1% of Toyota IQ tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 71.8%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Toyota IQ MOT pass rate & common failures

From 16,621 recorded MOT tests of the Toyota IQ, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

Across 16,621 MOT tests, 73.8% of Toyota IQ tests ended in a pass. This figure is not adjusted for age or mileage, so it is not a reliability ranking: the Toyota IQ 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 16.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 72,900 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Recorded pass rate

73.8%unadjusted, not comparable16,621 tests

We are not publishing a ranking for the IQ. 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 16,621 tests and are worth reading on their own terms.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Toyota IQ 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 etc16.9%
536 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
2.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen13.5%
429 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded11.9%
377 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.7%
372 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements9.8%
312 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
6.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements9.7%
309 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
7.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.5%
302 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
8.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc7.4%
235 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
9.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.8%
183 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.A tyre seriously damaged5.1%
163 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.A tyre seriously damaged22.3%
3,712 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.1%
2,684 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements14.2%
2,364 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded12.0%
1,998 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.8%
1,635 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened9.2%
1,531 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded6.7%
1,108 testsBrake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.7%
1,107 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Toyota IQ

The 18 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

Known faults

Toyota IQ common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a IQ, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

IQ common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

IQ pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Toyota IQ passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 9 to 11 was first used in 2014–2016.

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201683%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201376%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier72%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer IQ outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The IQ fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 72,900
Fuel mix of tested cars: Petrol100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

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

IQ 1.0 AUTOMATIC
IQ VVT-I

Check a specific Toyota IQ

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 IQ compared with other cars?: We do not publish a comparison for the Toyota IQ, 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 73.8% across 16,621 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 IQ?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc", which appears in 16.9% of failed Toyota IQ 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 IQ?: The most common advisory is "A tyre seriously damaged", noted on 22.3% of all Toyota IQ tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Toyota IQ usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 72,900 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.
Which Toyota IQ years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Toyota IQ cars first registered 2014–2016 do best at 83.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 71.8%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Toyota IQ get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 9 to 11 years old, 83.1% of Toyota IQ tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 71.8%. 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. 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.