Toyota Estima MOT Pass Rate
Overall pass rate across all manufacture years, based on 115,523 real MOT test results. Failure rate: 28.4%.
Data from official DVSA MOT testing records
Toyota Estima MOT Reliability Overview
The Toyota Estima is a well-known vehicle in the UK, with 115,523 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 34 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 71.6% and a failure rate of 28.4%, which is above the UK average of approximately 37%.
Based on this data, the Toyota Estima earns a "Very Good" reliability rating. The average Toyota Estima presents for MOT with approximately 104,130 miles on the clock. Manufacture year matters: 2024 models achieve the highest pass rate at 100.0%, while 1991 models have the lowest at 38.3%. This 61.7 percentage point difference suggests notable variation in build quality or component durability across production years.
The most common MOT failure for the Toyota Estima is Suspension, affecting 24.1% of all tests. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. The second most common issue is Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 19.9%. Brakes rounds out the top three at 18.2%. Together, these top 3 failure categories account for a significant portion of all MOT failures for this model.
Top failures across all manufacture years combined. Individual year pages may show different top failures.
What Fails Most
Best Year to Buy
Based on MOT data, 2013 models have the highest pass rate at 87.6%.
Based on 2024 MOT test results only — the most recent data available. "Built" = year of manufacture. Cars need their first MOT at 3 years old, so the newest cars shown are from ~3 years ago.
Bar chart showing pass rate by manufacture year from 2006 to 2021
| Built | Pass Rate | Tests | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 87.6% | 3,060 | 🏆 Best |
| 2012 | 86.3% | 3,322 | ✅ Great |
| 2017 | 85.5% | 1,791 | 👍 Good |
| 2018 | 85.0% | 1,318 | 👍 Good |
| 2014 | 84.0% | 2,245 | 👍 Good |
| 2016 | 81.9% | 1,609 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2011 | 81.8% | 2,049 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2009 | 80.8% | 2,522 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2015 | 80.6% | 1,399 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2010 | 79.7% | 2,781 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2019 | 79.4% | 1,095 | ⚠️ Fair |
| 2008 | 74.7% | 1,756 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2006 | 73.7% | 1,078 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2021 | 73.0% | 618 | ❌ Avoid |
| 2007 | 70.7% | 1,203 | ❌ Avoid |
Show all 16 years
| 2020 | 66.9% | 776 | ❌ Avoid |
📈 How Each Vintage Ages
Tracking how each manufacture year's MOT pass rate changes as the car ages. Showing 29 vintages — click year chips to highlight.
Multi-line chart showing how different Toyota Estima vintages degrade over time, from age 0 to 24 years.
Only vintages with 100+ tests in at least 3 different test years are shown. Fleet average is the UK-wide pass rate for all cars at each age.
📉 How Age Affects Reliability
MOT failure rate by vehicle age for the Toyota Estima. The dashed red line marks when the manufacturer warranty typically expires (5 years).
Line chart showing MOT failure rate by vehicle age from 3 to 20 years, with warranty expiry marked at 5 years.
💡 What does the warranty cliff mean?
The Toyota Estima actually sees a 20% decrease in failure rate after the warranty period. This is likely due to survivorship bias — unreliable cars are already off the road by this age. Peak failure occurs at age 20 (49.3% fail rate).
Note: pass rates may improve for very old vehicles due to survivorship bias — only well-maintained cars remain on the road.
* High Fail Rate badge indicates an MOT pass rate below 65% (failure rate above 35%).
What Fails on This Car?
Click a category to see specific failure items.
View as table
| Rank | Failure Category | Rate (%) | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamps, Reflectors And Electrical Equipment | 37.8% | 43,713 |
| 2 | Suspension | 26.6% | 30,780 |
| 3 | Brakes | 21.0% | 24,217 |
| 4 | Tyres | 16.0% | 18,522 |
| 5 | Driver's View Of The Road | 4.2% | 4,822 |
| 6 | Visibility | 3.9% | 4,514 |
| 7 | Exhaust, Fuel And Emissions | 3.8% | 4,424 |
| 8 | Noise, Emissions And Leaks | 3.3% | 3,792 |
| 9 | Body, Chassis, Structure | 2.7% | 3,100 |
| 10 | Non-component Advisories | 2.6% | 3,044 |
| 11 | Steering | 2.5% | 2,926 |
| 12 | Registration Plates And Vin | 0.9% | 986 |
| 13 | Identification Of The Vehicle | 0.8% | 973 |
| 14 | Seat Belts And Supplementary Restraint Systems | 0.8% | 961 |
Failures per 10,000 Miles
avg. 104,130 miFor every 10,000 miles driven, this shows what percentage of MOT tests fail for each category. This accounts for how far cars are actually driven, not just raw pass/fail counts.
View as table
| Category | Rate / 10K mi | Raw % | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps & Electrical | 3.63 | 37.8% | 43,713 |
| Suspension | 2.56 | 26.6% | 30,780 |
| Brakes | 2.01 | 21.0% | 24,217 |
| Tyres | 1.54 | 16.0% | 18,522 |
| Visibility | 0.78 | 8.1% | 9,336 |
| Emissions & Exhaust | 0.37 | 3.8% | 4,424 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.32 | 3.3% | 3,792 |
| Body & Structure | 0.26 | 2.7% | 3,100 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.25 | 2.6% | 3,044 |
| Steering | 0.24 | 2.5% | 2,926 |
| Registration Plates and VIN | 0.08 | 0.9% | 986 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 0.08 | 0.8% | 973 |
| Seat Belts | 0.08 | 0.8% | 961 |
🚗 Similar Cars to Consider
Mileage at MOT
The average Toyota Estima has 104,130 miles when tested for MOT.
📊 Mileage-Adjusted Failure Rate
How often this car fails MOT relative to how much it's driven — a fairer comparison than raw pass rate.
The Toyota Estima has a mileage-adjusted failure rate of 2.73% per 10,000 miles driven. The average across all makes is 5.38%, so this model is better than average.
About Toyota Estima MOT Data
The Toyota Estima is a well-known vehicle in the UK, with 115,523 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 34 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 71.6% and a failure rate of 28.4%, which is above the UK average of approximately 37%.
For Toyota Estima owners, these results suggest a reliable vehicle that generally passes its MOT without major issues. Focus your pre-MOT checks on suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment for the best chance of a first-time pass. Use our detailed year-by-year breakdown and failure analysis below to understand how your specific Estima is likely to perform.
Suspension — 24.1% of failures
Suspension issues account for 24.1% of MOT failures on the Toyota Estima. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. Typical repair costs: £200–500. Pre-MOT check: Look for uneven tyre wear, listen for clunking over bumps, and check if the car pulls to one side. A bouncy ride suggests worn shock absorbers. Visually inspect coil springs for cracks.
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment — 19.9% of failures
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment issues account for 19.9% of MOT failures on the Toyota Estima. Lighting failures cover all external lights: headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights, and reflectors. A single blown bulb will cause an MOT fail. This is one of the most preventable failure categories. Typical repair costs: £5–50. Pre-MOT check: Walk around the car and check every light — headlights (dipped and main beam), side lights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, hazard lights, reverse light, rear fog light, and number plate lights. Replace any blown bulbs before the test.
Brakes — 18.2% of failures
Brakes issues account for 18.2% of MOT failures on the Toyota Estima. Brake-related failures include worn brake pads, corroded brake discs, leaking brake lines, and faulty brake servos. These are safety-critical components — any brake deficiency will result in an MOT fail. Typical repair costs: £150–400. Pre-MOT check: Listen for squealing or grinding noises. Check brake pedal feel — if it feels spongy or goes to the floor, have the system inspected immediately. Look at brake pad thickness through the wheel spokes (minimum 3mm).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Toyota Estima?
Based on 115,523 MOT tests in our database, the Toyota Estima has an overall pass rate of 71.6% (28.4% fail rate).
What are the most common MOT failures on a Toyota Estima?
The top 3 reasons a Toyota Estima fails its MOT are: 1. Suspension (24.1%), 2. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (19.9%), 3. Brakes (18.2%). Check these areas before booking your MOT.
Is the Toyota Estima reliable?
With a 28.4% MOT failure rate, the Estima is more reliable than average compared to the UK average of ~40%.
What should I check before an MOT on my Toyota Estima?
Based on failure data, focus on: Suspension (24.1%); Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (19.9%); Brakes (18.2%). These are the areas most likely to cause a fail. Also check all lights, tyres (minimum 1.6mm tread), and windscreen condition — these are quick wins that apply to all cars.
Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.