Toyota
44,239 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Versos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 2.2 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
75.3%
Pass-after-fix
7.5%
Fail
16.7%
Avg miles
93,988
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 44,239 tests
Pass rate climbs 13.0 points across the cohorts — newer Verso examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
75.2%
Fail
16.8%
PRS
7.5%
Avg mileage at test
94,264 mi
Pass
88.2%
Fail
7.5%
PRS
3.6%
Avg mileage at test
50,308 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
The Toyota Verso is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.
MOT data from 34,085 tests puts this car on a 76.2% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 87,216 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning.
The new model has been restyled to look more like other new Toyota models and benefits from improved materials and a revised interior, plus new trim details. Toyota says 470 parts have been changed as part of the upgrade.
Buyers weighing up a used Verso should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
15–22
out of 50
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A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
2,021 occurrences · 4.6% of tests
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
1,271 occurrences · 2.9% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
1,009 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
909 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
892 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
859 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
798 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
748 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
734 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc
730 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 4 failures
£248–£755
If every one of this Verso'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 13.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Toyota Verso has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
88.2%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 88.2% — a 13.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 50,308 miles — roughly 44K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated, less than 1.5 mm thick — 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
75.2%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 75.2% pass rate against a fleet average of 88.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, not working, and ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 94,264 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (88.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (75.2% pass). That's a 13.0-point spread across 43,960 older tests and 279 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.
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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.
What's good
Engines have been improved with 10g/km lower emissions for the 2.0-litre diesel D-4D. A 2.2-litre diesel is offered too with either a manual or automatic gearbox. 2.2 diesel can optionally have its towing capacity increased by 200kg to 1,500kg. Petrol engines are 1.6-litre and 1.8-litre valvematics, with the 1.8 available with the excellent CVT Multidrive S CVT automatic gearbox.
Recall history
The Verso has 15 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 a Verso 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.
