Toyota
7,219 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Yaris Excel Hev Cvts pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 16.4 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
93.9%
Pass-after-fix
2.1%
Fail
3.6%
Avg miles
18,741
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 7,219 tests
Pass rate climbs 1.5 points across the cohorts — newer Yaris Excel Hev Cvt examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
92.8%
Fail
4.6%
PRS
2.3%
Avg mileage at test
21,359 mi
Pass
94.3%
Fail
3.3%
PRS
2.0%
Avg mileage at test
17,927 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,309 MOT tests, the Yaris Excel Hev Cvt returns 94.4% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. A defective wiper blade and shock absorber damaged to the extent round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 15,861, 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
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 →
5–19
out of 50
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Wiper blade defective
56 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
54 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
31 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
30 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
27 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
25 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
25 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
23 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen
19 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
17 occurrences · 0.2% 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 2 failures
£80–£140
If every one of this Yaris Excel Hev Cvt'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.5-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Toyota Yaris Excel Hev Cvt makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
94.3%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 94.3% — a 1.5-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, blade defective — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
92.8%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 92.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 94.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: blade defective, has a cut in excess of the…, and has a tear, caused by separation or…. Average mileage on test for this band is 21,359 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (94.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (92.8% pass). That's a 1.5-point spread across 1,710 older tests and 5,509 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
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · 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
My Motor World · affiliate
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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
Fairly big boot by class standards, tempting hybrid option, Toyota has an epic reliability record.
Where it falls short
The Toyota Yaris feels a little dated these days, with a bland interior, inconsistent equipment levels, lacklustre performance and mediocre driving experience.
Report of clutch thrust bearing failure on 2012 Toyota Yaris 1.33 SR at fairly low mileage, mostly suburban use. Replacement thrust bearing and clutch £1,000 at outer London Toyota dealer.
Report of 2011 Toyota Yaris 1.4D-4D showing a yellow light which on diagnostic by local garage said fuel errors. Mechanic has changed all filters, cleaned the diesel tank and cleared the errors. But when the car is driven it "pulls" and then loses all power. Suspect EGR and or DPF.
R eport of two issues with 2012 Toyota Yaris 1.33 CVT now at 65k miles. The offside front coil spring snapped, happily replaced under an extended Toyota warranty. But also has keyless entry and go which is playing up. The central locking has been malfunctioning with symptoms that include unlocking some doors and not others (completely at random). When in the vehicle we can hear the central locking "clicking" for a brief period as if something is slipping. As yet dealer has been unable to replicate this so not yet fixed.
Report of 'anti-trap' electric window mechanism on new hired Toyota Yaris hybrid failing, trapping the passenger's arm and refusing to release.
Problems reported with the mapping of the satnav of a 2017 Yaris Hybrid Excel: Someties gets an overspeed warning on roads where the driver knows he is under the limit and, living on the coast, the satnav sometimes shows the car as in the sea.
Complaint that on a new 2017 model Toyota Yaris hybrid the left-hand indicator stalk does not self-cancel.
Hot starting problem reported on 9,000 mile 2016 Toyota Yaris 1.3 CVT. When the car has been driven anything over 10 miles, parked and left for half an hour or so the engine is very difficult to start. It starts eventually but after many turns.
Further report of DPF problems, this time with an independently serviced 28,000 mile 2012/62 Yaris D-4D: " Hi It went back to Toyota who did several regenerations on it and the engine management light went out. 29 days later it came back on despite me having driven 1,599 miles in that time." Toyota is now questioning the independent service that owner had done prior to all of this a happening. New DPF estimated at £800.
DPF regeneration problems reported with 27k mile 4 year old Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D.
Another report of DPF problems with the Yaris 1.4 D-4D, this time twice in 50,000 miles in a Yaris used for driving school work. Steering column universal joint has also needed to be replaced twice due to driving school abuse.
2015 Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D needed a forced DPF regeneration and oil change at 18,000 miles, costing £275. Might not have been actively regenerating, and this might be because owner filled it with Millers longlife ACEA C2 5W30 instead of the correct 0W30 at the last oil change. Problem occurred despite almost all mileage on motorway on 800 mile road trips at 2,000rpm.
Problem reported with Multidrive S CVT where the gearbox briefly changed down and then back up when the revs rose on a level road at constant speed of no more than 40 mph. It happened several times over a couple of hours and since then, no problem.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 14 reports indexed, top 12 shown
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 Yaris Excel Hev Cvt 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.
