Know Your MOT
22.4%fail rate

Toyota 1 common MOT failures and failure rate

What a Toyota 1 fails its MOT on, from real DVSA test data, and the part that resolves each item.

Based on 67 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 22.4% of MOT tests recorded on the Toyota 1 in DVSA data end in a failure. The same handful of items account for most of them.

Its most common failure is lamps & electrical, which makes up 33.3% of the Toyota 1's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, brakes, other, visibility/wipers. Each item below links to the part that resolves it. Confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying, and have safety-critical work done by a competent mechanic.

What it fails on, and why

Lamps & electrical33.3% of failures

Lighting is the single most common MOT failure and the cheapest to put right. A blown headlight, brake-light or number-plate bulb, a cracked lens, or a headlamp beam that points too high or low will all fail. Most are a two-minute bulb swap.

Brakes26.7% of failures

Brake failures cover worn pads and discs, an imbalance between wheels, corroded or scored discs, or a binding caliper. Braking efficiency is measured on a rolling road, so a spongy or pulling brake shows up as a low reading.

Other20.0% of failures

This covers a range of smaller items, from a non-working horn to a warning light left on.

Visibility/wipers13.3% of failures

Visibility failures include torn or smearing wiper blades, a washer jet that does not reach the screen, and chips or cracks in the driver's swept area. Blades and washer fluid are quick, cheap fixes.

Tyres13.3% of failures

Tyres fail for tread below the 1.6mm legal limit across the central three-quarters, uneven or exposed-cord wear, or sidewall damage. The tester inspects all four; a single illegal tyre is a fail.

Registration plate6.7% of failures

A missing, damaged, dirty or incorrectly-spaced number plate, or one using the wrong font, will fail. A replacement plate is inexpensive.

The parts that fix each

If your car has just failed, you have 10 working days to fix the items and get a free partial retest. These are the usual parts; confirm the exact fitment against your registration or VIN before buying.

For the lamps & electrical failure: Toyota 1 headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Toyota 1 headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Toyota 1 headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Toyota 1 brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Toyota 1 brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Toyota 1 brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Toyota 1 wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Toyota 1 wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Toyota 1 wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Toyota 1 tyresSearch Amazon for Toyota 1 tyresaffiliate searchFind Toyota 1 tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Toyota 1 number plateSearch Amazon for Toyota 1 number plateaffiliate searchFind Toyota 1 number plate on eBayaffiliate

Other models

Toyota Yaris MOT failures22.1% failure rateToyota Corolla MOT failures24.0% failure rateToyota Avensis MOT failures24.9% failure rateFord Fiesta MOT failures27.1% failure rate

Sources: DVSA MOT History API: MOT test results and defect data ยท DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain