Know Your MOT
14.3%fail rate

Toyota Spade common MOT failures and failure rate

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

Based on 112 MOT tests in DVSA data.

About 14.3% of MOT tests recorded on the Toyota Spade 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 37.5% of the Toyota Spade's failures, followed by lamps & electrical, suspension, tyres, other. 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 & electrical37.5% 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.

Suspension18.8% 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.

Tyres18.8% 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.

Other6.2% of failures

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

Visibility/wipers6.2% 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.

Registration plate6.2% 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 Spade headlight and indicator bulbsSearch Amazon for Toyota Spade headlight and indicator bulbsaffiliate searchFind Toyota Spade headlight and indicator bulbs on eBayaffiliate
For the suspension failure: Toyota Spade suspension springs and shock absorbersSearch Amazon for Toyota Spade suspension springs and shock absorbersaffiliate searchFind Toyota Spade suspension springs and shock absorbers on eBayaffiliate
For the tyres failure: Toyota Spade tyresSearch Amazon for Toyota Spade tyresaffiliate searchFind Toyota Spade tyres on eBayaffiliate
For the visibility/wipers failure: Toyota Spade wiper bladesSearch Amazon for Toyota Spade wiper bladesaffiliate searchFind Toyota Spade wiper blades on eBayaffiliate
For the registration plate failure: Toyota Spade number plateSearch Amazon for Toyota Spade number plateaffiliate searchFind Toyota Spade 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