Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 691,473 tests

Pass rate climbs 20.0 points across the cohorts — newer Yaris examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 600,585

Pass

73.5%

Fail

18.9%

PRS

7.0%

Avg mileage at test

75,306 mi

2018–2020 cohort 90,092

Pass

87.8%

Fail

7.2%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

29,659 mi

2021+ cohort 796

Pass

93.5%

Fail

4.2%

PRS

1.9%

Avg mileage at test

25,591 mi

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

Generations on file · 4

Toyota Yaris · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Yaris Passes 75% — Lights and Springs Flag

Toyota's reliability reputation holds up to a point: the Yaris clears 75.45% of MOTs across 527,880 tests, but headlamp lens defects and fractured coil springs are the most common failure triggers. Owners of the 1.33 CVT have reported snapped offside front springs — one was caught under an extended Toyota warranty at 65,000 miles, but that safety net won't apply to used buyers. The 1.4 D-4D diesel adds EGR complications at higher mileage. Pre-purchase checks should cover front lamp condition, both springs, and clutch play on manual versions, particularly below 60,000 miles.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 5–19

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

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective

19,603 occurrences · 2.8% of tests
02

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

13,833 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

12,013 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
04

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

11,452 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
05

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

10,312 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
06

Wiper blade defective

10,227 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
07

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

10,219 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
08

The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements

10,156 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

9,101 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
10

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

8,848 occurrences · 1.3% 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

£170–£460

If every one of this Yaris'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

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 20.0-point gap between bands means the year you buy Toyota Yaris has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

93.5%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 93.5% — a 20.0-point improvement. Tests in this band average 25,591 miles — roughly 50K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, ball joint dust cover no longer prevents… — 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

73.5%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.5% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: lens slightly defective, not working, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 75,306 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme. Honest John records: "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…"

Best band to buy: 2021+ (93.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.5% pass). That's a 20.0-point spread across 600,585 older tests and 796 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

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 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

Item 03 · 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

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

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Toyota Super White No. 2 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

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

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote

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

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

Get a quote →

Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

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.

Recent owner-reported faults

24 May 2019
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.
11 Dec 2018
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.
2 Aug 2018
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.
5 Jul 2018
Report of 'anti-trap' electric window mechanism on new hired Toyota Yaris hybrid failing, trapping the passenger's arm and refusing to release.
27 Mar 2018
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.
3 Aug 2017
Complaint that on a new 2017 model Toyota Yaris hybrid the left-hand indicator stalk does not self-cancel.
28 May 2017
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.
14 Oct 2016
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.
20 Aug 2016
DPF regeneration problems reported with 27k mile 4 year old Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D.
3 Aug 2016
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.
9 Mar 2016
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.
22 Feb 2016
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

Recall history

89 UK recalls on record.

The Yaris has 89 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Yaris?

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 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.