2003 Toyota Previa: MOT pass rate and reliability

62.1% of 2003 Toyota Previas pass the MOT first time, measured across 626 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 143,358 miles.

How the 2003 compares

  • Against all Toyota Previas (64.7%, 4,478 tests): -2.6 points
  • Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): -2.6 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Toyota Previa model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2003 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Toyota Previa:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2001 59.9% 444 147,369
2002 62.7% 442 143,194
2003 62.1% 626 143,358
2004 62.2% 736 143,584
2005 66.7% 667 143,003
2006 68% 516 142,438

What this means if you are buying a 2003 Previa

The 2003 is a weaker year for this model, passing 2.6 points less often than the Toyota Previa average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2003 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 23-year-old car fails on

A 2003 car is 23 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2003 Toyota Previa the average at test was 143,358 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2006 at 68%, and the weakest in our data is 2001 at 59.9%. That 8.1 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Toyota Previa MOT data · Every model