Know Your MOT
16.3%fail rate

Toyota Century common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 369 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 16.3% of MOT tests recorded on the Toyota Century 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 55.0% of the Toyota Century's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, suspension, visibility/wipers, tyres. 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 & electrical55.0% 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.

Suspension18.3% of failures

Suspension failures usually mean a worn or snapped coil spring, a leaking shock absorber, or play in a lower arm ball joint or bush. The tester checks for corrosion, fractures and excessive movement. A broken front spring is one of the most common failures on higher-mileage cars and is a straightforward replacement.

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.

Tyres10.0% 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.

Brakes10.0% 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.

Steering10.0% of failures

Steering faults are typically worn track-rod ends or ball joints, play in the rack, or a split gaiter letting grease out and dirt in. Excessive free play at the wheel fails.

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 Century headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Toyota Century headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Toyota Century suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Toyota Century suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Toyota Century wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Toyota Century wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Toyota Century tyresSearch Amazon for Toyota Century tyresaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the brakes failure: Toyota Century brake pads and discsSearch Amazon for Toyota Century brake pads and discsaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century brake pads and discs on eBayaffiliate
For the steering failure: Toyota Century steering track rod endsSearch Amazon for Toyota Century steering track rod endsaffiliate searchFind Toyota Century steering track rod ends 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