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 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.

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.

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 29 July 2026

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

72.1%national average72.3%unadjusted69.7%range covered84%

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

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

6–8 yrs81%

9–11 yrs74%

12–14 yrs66%

15+ yrs61%

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%

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.
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.