3,673 tests in 2025
Toyota Previa reliability and MOT pass rate
65.8% passed first time. The 34.2% fail rate is 11.6 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 21 years old with 140,854 miles.
Pass rate
65.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 34.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
10.2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
140,854 mi
21 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 9 | — |
| 6-9 years | 36 | — |
| 10-13 years | 141 | — |
| 14+ years | 3,486 | 34.6% |
What the Previa fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment21 dangerous52.4%
- Suspension37 dangerous43.3%
- Brakes209 dangerous34.6%
- Body, chassis, structure37 dangerous33.3%
- Noise, emissions and leaks2 dangerous30.9%
- Visibility1 dangerous18.2%
- Tyres230 dangerous16.4%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems6.5%
Is the Previa getting worse?
The fail rate held at 34.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-0.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,149 | 19 | 34.2% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 5,241 | 20 | 33.9% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 4,124 | 20.5 | 35.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 3,671 | 21 | 34.2% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Previa at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Previa in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Position lamp: not working187 tests
- 2Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively162 tests
- 3Stop lamp: not working157 tests
- 4Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength151 tests
- 5Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect144 tests
- 6Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases132 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick126 tests
- 8Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn123 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Previa collects 4.48 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,049 tests
- 2Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine982 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn895 tests
- 4Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded691 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm594 tests
- 6Headlamp: has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced450 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick390 tests
- 8Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases370 tests
Questions
What is the Toyota Previa MOT pass rate?
65.8% of the 3,673 Toyota Previa first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 34.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 10.2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Toyota Previa usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Position lamp: not working", recorded on 187 failed tests, followed by "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively" and "Stop lamp: not working". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 52.4% of failures, suspension appears in 43.3% of failures, brakes appears in 34.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 11.1%; at 14+ years it was 34.6%. The median Toyota Previa tested in 2025 was 21 years old with 140,854 miles.
Is the Toyota Previa getting less reliable?
The fail rate held at 34.2% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-0.3 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Previa trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Toyota models
- Yaris 20.4%
- Aygo 18.7%
- Landcruiser 27%
- Gt86 13.7%
- Hiace 28.8%
- Gr Yaris 6.1%
- Proace City 17.4%
- Urban 23.6%
- Vellfire 13.5%
- Starlet 28.1%
Checking a particular Previa?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.