Toyota Estima MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Toyota Estima MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Toyota Estima passed on its first attempt in 83.2%, and its overall record sits +4.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Toyota Estima in the 2023–2025 data: 59,618 tests across 24 model years (2000–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Toyota Estima MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Toyota Estima, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Toyota Estima's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Toyota Estima DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Toyota Estima, each with how many of the model's 59,618 tests it was noted on.

• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 2,818 Toyota Estima tests, 4.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 2,789 Toyota Estima tests, 4.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 1,740 Toyota Estima tests, 2.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 1,699 Toyota Estima tests, 2.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 1,423 Toyota Estima tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rear fog lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 1,238 Toyota Estima tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Toyota Estima Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Toyota Estima model year on record is 2022 (88.8% across 161 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (70.4%). The gap between them is 18.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Toyota Estima Owners

These checks follow this Toyota Estima's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Toyota Estima.

• the suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”

  With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.

• the lights — “registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

• the wipers and washers — “wipers blade defective”

  Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Toyota Estima. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Toyota Estima MOT & Reliability