Toyota Previa: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Toyota Previa fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 12.9 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 4,542 individual Toyota Previa tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.8% first-time pass rate means roughly 36 in every 100 Toyota Previas 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 Previa tested had covered 139,508 miles and was built around 2003.

What this means at salvage auction

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

Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Previa

1. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 2.9% of tests (19.21x the national rate for this defect)
2. 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, 6.5% of tests (7.85x the national rate for this defect)
3. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.7% of tests (7.33x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 2.5% of tests (6.42x the national rate for this defect)
5. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3.4% of tests (4.48x the national rate for this defect)
6. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 4.6% of tests (3.32x the national rate for this defect)
7. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.8% of tests (3.31x the national rate for this defect)
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 5.1% of tests (3.14x the national rate for this defect)
9. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.1% of tests (3.13x the national rate for this defect)
10. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.6% of tests (2.84x the national rate for this defect)

From 7,240 DVSA-tracked Toyota Previa tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.06% of these flagged Toyota Previa defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Toyota Previa 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 Previa year:

• 2001 Toyota Previa - 59.9% first-time pass, 444 tests
• 2002 Toyota Previa - 62.7% first-time pass, 442 tests
• 2003 Toyota Previa - 62.1% first-time pass, 626 tests
• 2004 Toyota Previa - 62.2% first-time pass, 736 tests
• 2005 Toyota Previa - 66.7% first-time pass, 667 tests
• 2006 Toyota Previa - 68% first-time pass, 516 tests

Toyota Previa by fuel type

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

• Petrol Toyota Previa - 64.2% first-time pass, 3,670 tests
• Diesel Toyota Previa - 66.2% first-time pass, 699 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

• Mitsubishi Colt - 64.2%
• Nissan Almera - 64.1%
• Mitsubishi Delica - 64%
• Nissan Primera - 63.8%
• Honda Fr-V - 63.7%
• Dodge Nitro - 63.7%

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