Toyota Hi-Ace: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Toyota Hi-Ace fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 4.4 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 7,666 individual Toyota Hi-Ace tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 72.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 28 in every 100 Toyota Hi-Aces presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Toyota Hi-Ace tested had covered 146,487 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Toyota Hi-Ace bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Toyota Hi-Ace rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Toyota Hi-Aces actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Hi-Ace

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 5.2% of tests (14.34x the national rate for this defect)
2. Body, cab or chassis excessively corroded at a mounting point, 2.4% of tests (12.03x the national rate for this defect)
3. 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, 9.5% of tests (11.5x the national rate for this defect)
4. A shock absorber bush excessively worn, 1.2% of tests (8.26x the national rate for this defect)
5. Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit, 1.2% of tests (5.74x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 3.7% of tests (4.42x the national rate for this defect)
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 3.3% of tests (2.43x the national rate for this defect)
8. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 1.3% of tests (1.98x the national rate for this defect)
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.1% of tests (1.92x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.7% of tests (1.78x the national rate for this defect)

From 11,524 DVSA-tracked Toyota Hi-Ace tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.66% of these flagged Toyota Hi-Ace defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Toyota Hi-Ace pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Toyota Hi-Ace year:

• 1998 Toyota Hi-Ace - 65.7% first-time pass, 318 tests
• 1999 Toyota Hi-Ace - 69.9% first-time pass, 322 tests
• 2000 Toyota Hi-Ace - 62.6% first-time pass, 243 tests
• 2001 Toyota Hi-Ace - 66.3% first-time pass, 276 tests
• 2002 Toyota Hi-Ace - 74.5% first-time pass, 204 tests
• 2003 Toyota Hi-Ace - 68.7% first-time pass, 297 tests
• 2004 Toyota Hi-Ace - 68.9% first-time pass, 302 tests
• 2005 Toyota Hi-Ace - 70.4% first-time pass, 341 tests
• 2006 Toyota Hi-Ace - 72.8% first-time pass, 475 tests
• 2007 Toyota Hi-Ace - 74.8% first-time pass, 1,339 tests
• 2008 Toyota Hi-Ace - 75.4% first-time pass, 1,225 tests
• 2009 Toyota Hi-Ace - 76.8% first-time pass, 707 tests
• 2010 Toyota Hi-Ace - 76.2% first-time pass, 630 tests
• 2011 Toyota Hi-Ace - 77.4% first-time pass, 380 tests

Toyota Hi-Ace by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Toyota Hi-Ace - 73% first-time pass, 7,310 tests
• Petrol Toyota Hi-Ace - 73.1% first-time pass, 290 tests

Other Toyota models

• Toyota Yaris - 78.6%
• Toyota Aygo - 80.9%
• Toyota Prius - 86%
• Toyota Auris - 80.5%
• Toyota Rav4 - 84.3%
• Toyota C-Hr - 90.6%
• Toyota Corolla - 75.3%
• Toyota Hilux - 73%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Hyundai I800 - 72.5%
• Vauxhall Ampera - 72.5%
• MG Tf - 72.4%
• Lexus Rx300 - 72.3%
• Smart Roadster 80 Auto(Rhd) - 72.3%
• Mazda Bongo Friendee - 72.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate