Toyota
109,034 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Avensiss pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 5.8 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.
Pass
71.8%
Pass-after-fix
6.6%
Fail
20.9%
Avg miles
123,973
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Some examples of this model are borderline — a small number of diesels were certified Euro 6 before September 2015. Check your registration on the government's ULEZ checker to be certain. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 109,034 tests
Pass rate climbs 12.4 points across the cohorts — newer Avensis examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
71.7%
Fail
20.9%
PRS
6.6%
Avg mileage at test
124,078 mi
Pass
84.1%
Fail
12.0%
PRS
3.3%
Avg mileage at test
103,104 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
Generations on file · 3
Toyota Avensis · UK market
1997–2003
2003–2009
2009–2018
Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.
The picture
The Toyota Avensis presents for MOT at an average of 119,774 miles — the highest average mileage in this batch — yet manages only a 71.86% pass rate across 88,486 tests. Rear number plate lamps, inoperative light sources across multi-lamp clusters, and headlamp reflector defects all feature: a lighting-heavy failure list that reflects a car well into its working life.
Owner reports point to deeper mechanical concerns. The 2015 2.0 D-4D with BMW's N47 diesel engine was consuming one litre of oil per 1,000 miles — a serious issue on a car that's expected to rack up miles economically. A/C pump bearing failure on the same year car cost £1,400 at a Toyota dealer; an independent replaced just the bearings for £400. EGR problems on the 1.6 D-4D — also a BMW-sourced engine — surfaced at just 6,000 miles. At this mileage, the Avensis needs a careful pre-MOT inspection: check all lamps, check the reflectors, and factor engine oil consumption into the ownership cost.
ABI Insurance Group
Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.
Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →
16–28
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A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
5,194 occurrences · 4.8% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
3,571 occurrences · 3.3% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
3,376 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
2,353 occurrences · 2.2% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
2,273 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
1,973 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
1,971 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
1,966 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
1,909 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
1,822 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 3 failures
£78–£210
If every one of this Avensis's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
Try the calculator
Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 12.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Toyota Avensis has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
84.1%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 84.1% — a 12.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 103,104 miles — roughly 21K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
71.7%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 71.7% pass rate against a fleet average of 84.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, not working, and lens slightly defective. Average mileage on test for this band is 124,078 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "Report of a/c pump bearings failing on 2015 Toyota Avensis. Toyota dealer wanted £1,400 to replace the pump. Independent replaced the bearings for £400. (Bit strange because a 2015 shgould…"
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (84.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (71.7% pass). That's a 12.4-point spread across 108,486 older tests and 548 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
H7 / W21W bulb pack
A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.
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Item 02 · Amazon UK
Headlight restoration kit
Yellowed lenses fail the light-output test. A restoration kit lifts the haze in an afternoon for £20.
Search Amazon UK
Item 03 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
Where it falls short
Owner reports (4 entries) flag recurring problems with EGR valve, oil consumption, air conditioning.
Report of high oil consumption of 1 litre per 1,000 miles from 2015 Toyota Avensis 2.0 D-4D with BMW N47 diesel engine. Tritan Purple Finish Twin/Full Bunk Bed Twin/Full Metal Bunk Bed, Slat System Included Built-in Side Ladders, Full Length Guardrail, 2" Metal Tube frame, Mattress Not Included K...eBay Friday: The IRS Is Forgiving Millions in Tax Debt Before the May 15 Deadline freshstartinfo.org Ask a Pro: "I'm 65 With $1.1M Saved. What's My Retirement Budget?"This quiz matches nearly 50,000 people each month with vetted financial advisors.SmartAsset Learn More Top 5 Mouse Repellents for 2026 Expert Product Review Learn More Why AI Brings Speech Clarity That Old Hearing Aids Just Can’t Match Understand speech in noise effortlessly AudioNova Cardiologist: "Avoid Bottled Water At All Costs For Your Waistline"Most Americans don't know this yet.Water Health Experts Learn More Sponsored IRS Cuts Millions in Tax Debt Before April 30th Deadline Learn More As the tax relief deadline nears, thousands of Americans are rushing to resolve their tax debts before the IRS imposes hefty penalties.Fresh Start Information Sponsored Stop Wasting Groceries: The Fridge Mistake Most Households Make Consumer Check Sponsored North Charleston: AudioNova is giving free 30-minute hearing checks complete this short quiz to schedule your free hearing test AudioNova [![Image 32: Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]](https://images.outbrainimg.com/transform/v3/eyJpdSI6ImUzNDY5NWJhMzA0NzRhODZiMzJlYzFmNTJkNTM3ZDIxMzZiMWM1MTMzZTBhNDVkNTJkZjQ0ZWFhZDQ2ZTY3YWIiLCJ3Ijo0MDAsImgiOjMwMCwiZCI6MS4wLCJjaCI6LTc1NDE0MjE0NiwiY3MiOjAsImYiOjR9.webp)Sponsored Find Senior Women Who Bring The Spark [See Who's Online]It all starts with a message.amorelation.com Read more](https://amorelation.com/land/sp/17f2ebbb?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=ua&utm_campaign=OBN_Amorelation_USA_All_Native_EU2_NewU_aOBX25_WL-exclude2_Creo-t_Text-t_mua_20Apr&campaign_id=004aea76c4e6e4694169bd0cc89a5ab731&utm_content=Find+Senior+Women+Who+Bring+The+Spark+%5BSee+Who%27s+Online%5D&partner=outbrain_datingsmatch&OutbrainClickId={{ob_click_id}}&subid={{ob_click_id}}&ad_id=00b3c19bfc65a0cbf37f87168b7a2dc38a&publisher_name={{publisher_name}}§ion_name={{section_name}}&publisher_id={{publisher_id}}&ad_name={{ad_name}}&obOrigUrl=true) Sponsored Stop Wasting Money on Plumbers: This Simple Foam Fixes Any Drain Trending Deal Journal * Terms and Conditions * Privacy * Cookies * Advertise on this site * Contact * Mobile) Website of the Year 2016, 2017 & 2018
Report of a/c pump bearings failing on 2015 Toyota Avensis. Toyota dealer wanted £1,400 to replace the pump. Independent replaced the bearings for £400. (Bit strange because a 2015 shgould have been under Toyota's 5 year warranty.)
EGR problem reported on Avensis 1.6 D-4D (BMW engine) at 6,000 miles. First loss of power then unable to start the engine at all.
All 'current' Toyota sat-navs use the same software. There is a manufacturer's advisory that if customers complain about nonsense directions in UK, France or Spain and their sat-nav has Software Version: 2.8.4al it requires upgrading free of charge, takes about one hour.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 4 reports indexed
Recall history
The Avensis has 41 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own an Avensis and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
