Model reliability file
Toyota Verso MOT pass rate & common failures
From 26,973 recorded MOT tests of the Toyota Verso, published by DVSA.
Data updated
Quick answer
The Toyota Verso passes 72.1% 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 about average. Based on 26,973 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 21.5% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 97,629 miles on the odometer when tested.
At a glance
Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage
The Verso is 0.2 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is about average. The unadjusted figure is 69.7%; 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 Verso 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 functioning21.5%
1,251 occurrencesLamp not working explained
- 2.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc16.2%
943 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
- 3.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm12.6%
732 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
- 4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.9%
636 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
- 5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen10.8%
627 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
- 6.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded9.7%
563 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
- 7.Audible warning inoperative8.3%
481 occurrencesHorn not working, or of the wrong type explained
- 8.Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements7.2%
418 occurrencesLamp of the wrong colour, position or intensity explained
- 9.A tyre seriously damaged6.6%
385 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
- 10.A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps6.6%
384 occurrencesLamp not working explained
Warnings without a failure
Most common advisories
Share of all Toyota Verso 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 requirements23.5%
6,327 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
- 2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured18.5%
4,990 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
- 3.A tyre seriously damaged15.2%
4,093 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
- 4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm13.6%
3,678 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
- 5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded13.6%
3,675 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
- 6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.1%
3,001 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
- 7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.6%
2,854 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
- 8.Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn6.2%
1,682 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
The rest of the record
Everything else recorded on the Toyota Verso
The 20 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.
- Headlamp aim incorrect5.9%
- Tyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating5.7%
- Registration plate missing, insecure or illegible4.3%
- Shock absorber defective3.8%
- Headlamp not working3.8%
- Parking brake efficiency too low3.6%
- Tyre pressure monitoring system inoperative3.2%
- Steering rack gaiter split, damaged or missing2.8%
- Driveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing2.7%
- Suspension mounting corroded or insecure2.6%
- Brake hose deteriorated, damaged or chafing2.4%
- Direction indicator not working2.2%
- Engine management light on, or not working2.2%
- Airbag warning lamp on, or airbag missing2.2%
- Ball joint worn1.9%
- Wheel nut, bolt or stud missing, loose or damaged1.9%
- Parking brake lever or cable travel excessive1.7%
- Exhaust leaking or insecure1.4%
- Corrosion in a structural area1.1%
- Brake binding or imbalanced across an axle0.7%
Known faults
Toyota Verso 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 Verso, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.
How wear changes the picture
Verso pass rate by age and registration year
How often the Toyota Verso passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.
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 Verso 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 Verso fleet
- Average mileage recorded at test
- 97,629
- Fuel mix of tested cars
- Petrol58.3%Diesel41.1%LPG0.6%
Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.
Check a specific Toyota Verso
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
- Renault Zoe — 65.7% adjusted, ranked 214
- Mitsubishi Shogun — 75.4% adjusted, ranked 103
- Mini Clubman — 76.8% adjusted, ranked 87
- BMW I3 — 84.3% adjusted, ranked 23
Common questions
- Is the Toyota Verso reliable?
- On MOT evidence the Toyota Verso is about average. It passes 72.1% 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 Verso?
- 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 21.5% of failed Toyota Verso 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 Verso?
- The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 23.5% of all Toyota Verso tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
- What mileage does a Toyota Verso usually have at its MOT?
- The average odometer reading recorded at test is 97,629 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 Verso years are the most reliable?
- Going by MOT pass rate, Toyota Verso cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 80.8%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 61.0%. 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 Verso get harder to pass as it ages?
- Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 80.8% of Toyota Verso tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 61.0%. 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 Verso models petrol or diesel?
- Of the Toyota Verso cars tested, 58% are petrol, 41% are diesel, 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.
Further reading