Toyota Mr2: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Toyota Mr2 fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 10,383 individual Toyota Mr2 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Toyota Mr2s 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 Mr2 tested had covered 94,789 miles and was built around 2000.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Toyota Mr2 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 Mr2 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 Mr2s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Mr2

1. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3.9% of tests (13.27x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 2.7% of tests (12.11x the national rate for this defect)
3. Parking brake inoperative on one side, 3.7% of tests (8.36x the national rate for this defect)
4. Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value, 2% of tests (7.2x the national rate for this defect)
5. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 2.8% of tests (6.96x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 6.2% of tests (6.39x the national rate for this defect)
7. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 1.9% of tests (5.34x the national rate for this defect)
8. 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, 4.3% of tests (5.16x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3% of tests (3.86x the national rate for this defect)
10. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.4% of tests (2.06x the national rate for this defect)

From 19,506 DVSA-tracked Toyota Mr2 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.67% of these flagged Toyota Mr2 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Toyota Mr2 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 Mr2 year:

• 1990 Toyota Mr2 - 75.2% first-time pass, 258 tests
• 1991 Toyota Mr2 - 67.2% first-time pass, 247 tests
• 1992 Toyota Mr2 - 69.1% first-time pass, 301 tests
• 1993 Toyota Mr2 - 69.6% first-time pass, 296 tests
• 1994 Toyota Mr2 - 71.5% first-time pass, 200 tests
• 1996 Toyota Mr2 - 69.9% first-time pass, 206 tests
• 1997 Toyota Mr2 - 69.5% first-time pass, 266 tests
• 1998 Toyota Mr2 - 70.6% first-time pass, 395 tests
• 1999 Toyota Mr2 - 69% first-time pass, 284 tests
• 2000 Toyota Mr2 - 66.8% first-time pass, 906 tests
• 2001 Toyota Mr2 - 69.6% first-time pass, 876 tests
• 2002 Toyota Mr2 - 69.2% first-time pass, 1,043 tests
• 2003 Toyota Mr2 - 70.7% first-time pass, 1,231 tests
• 2004 Toyota Mr2 - 72.5% first-time pass, 1,155 tests
• 2005 Toyota Mr2 - 72% first-time pass, 833 tests
• 2006 Toyota Mr2 - 74.2% first-time pass, 729 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 I30 - 70.5%
• Citroen C3 - 70.4%
• Fiat 500c - 70.4%
• Toyota Hiace - 70.4%
• Toyota Landcruiser - 70.4%
• MG Zt - 70.4%

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