Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 7,210 tests

Pass rate drops 2.5 points across the cohorts — recent Vellfire examples are doing worse than the early cars at the same tested age.

Pre-2018 cohort 6,884

Pass

91.1%

Fail

7.1%

PRS

1.5%

Avg mileage at test

65,435 mi

2018–2020 cohort 186

Pass

94.1%

Fail

4.8%

PRS

1.1%

Avg mileage at test

57,653 mi

2021+ cohort 140

Pass

88.6%

Fail

8.6%

PRS

2.9%

Avg mileage at test

69,128 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Vellfire: a strong MOT record by UK norms

Across 1,859 MOT tests, the Vellfire returns 85.6% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a missing suspension dust cover. A torn suspension dust cover and a torn suspension dust cover round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 69,585, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 10–28

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →

10–28

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

115 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
02

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

96 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
03

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

95 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
04

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

93 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
05

An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

68 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
06

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

61 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
07

A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

60 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
08

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

59 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
09

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

57 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
10

Front or rear fog lamp switch inoperative or not operating in accordance with the requirements

56 occurrences · 0.8% 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 4 failures

£248–£755

If every one of this Vellfire'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 →

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Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 5.5-point gap between bands means the year you buy Toyota Vellfire has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

94.1%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 94.1% — a 5.5-point improvement. Tests in this band average 57,653 miles — roughly 11K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: blade defective, constant velocity boot severely deteriorated — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

88.6%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 88.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, ball joint dust cover no longer prevents…, and does not clear the windscreen effectively. Average mileage on test for this band is 69,128 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (94.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (88.6% pass). That's a 5.5-point spread across 140 older tests and 186 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Toyota Oil Filter Replacement Tool

£29.69

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Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Toyota Tyrol Silver Metallic 12.5ml

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

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Buying or keeping a Vellfire?

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 a Vellfire 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.