Is the Toyota Land Cruiser reliable?

On MOT evidence the Toyota Land Cruiser is well above average. It passes 82.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 32 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 do testers most often warn about on a Toyota Land Cruiser?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 16.1% of all Toyota Land Cruiser tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Toyota Land Cruiser usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 130,306 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 Land Cruiser get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.0% of Toyota Land Cruiser tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.1%. 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 Land Cruiser models petrol or diesel?

Of the Toyota Land Cruiser cars tested, 93% are diesel, 6% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Toyota Land Cruiser MOT pass rate & common failures

From 19,612 recorded MOT tests of the Toyota Land Cruiser, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Toyota Land Cruiser passes 82.5% 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 well above average, ranking it 32 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 19,612 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is 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 repaired, which appears in 13.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 130,306 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

82.5%national average72.3%unadjusted73.4%range covered97%rank32 of 262

The Land Cruiser is 10.2 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 73.4%; 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 Land Cruiser tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.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 repaired13.6%
579 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
2.Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point13.6%
578 occurrencesCorrosion in a structural area explained
3.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc11.9%
509 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning11.9%
508 occurrencesLamp not working explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.9%
464 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.6%
450 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
7.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired10.1%
429 occurrencesSeat belt anchorage corroded or weakened explained
8.Exhaust system leaking or insecure9.4%
400 occurrencesExhaust leaking or insecure explained
9.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen9.0%
385 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
10.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn7.1%
301 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Toyota Land Cruiser 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 corroded16.1%
3,165 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
2.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened12.4%
2,434 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.4%
2,238 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm10.3%
2,025 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged7.8%
1,527 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.3%
1,428 tests
7.Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced6.5%
1,277 testsCorrosion in a structural area explained
8.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured6.2%
1,221 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs89%

6–8 yrs87%

9–11 yrs84%

12–14 yrs80%

15+ yrs67%

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

What gets tested

The Land Cruiser fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 130,306
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel93.0%
Petrol6.4%

Trim names grouped into this model (5)

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

LAND CRUISER 4.2 VX
LAND CRUISER ACTIVE COM A
LAND CRUISER ACTIVE VACATION
LAND CRUISER ESTATE
LAND CRUISER V8 ZX

Check a specific Toyota Land Cruiser

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

Volkswagen Amarok — 80.1% adjusted, ranked 52
Hyundai I40 — 75.6% adjusted, ranked 100
Mercedes-Benz Citan — 65.2% adjusted, ranked 221
Volvo S60 — 76.6% adjusted, ranked 90

Common questions

Is the Toyota Land Cruiser reliable?: On MOT evidence the Toyota Land Cruiser is well above average. It passes 82.5% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 32 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 Land Cruiser?: The item recorded most often is "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 repaired", which appears in 13.6% of failed Toyota Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser?: The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 16.1% of all Toyota Land Cruiser tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Toyota Land Cruiser usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 130,306 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 Land Cruiser get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.0% of Toyota Land Cruiser tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 67.1%. 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 Land Cruiser models petrol or diesel?: Of the Toyota Land Cruiser cars tested, 93% are diesel, 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. 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.