Pass rate
76.4%
Around average — 3.8 pts ahead of the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 4,470 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £37–£103
2003 Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate
- 2003
- typical 90,715 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
27.4% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2008 83.8% pass
- Avoid 2000 73.4% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 10.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 71.4%
- Typical mileage
- 91k mi
The 2003 Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate is 76.4% of its MOT tests — 3.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.4% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.3× the national share
Brakes make up 27.4% of everything recorded on the 2003 Toyota Mr2, against 20.9% nationally — 6.5 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.6% and this one manages 76.4% — 3.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 28% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Toyota MR2? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Toyota MR2 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 71.4%. The median 2003 Toyota MR2 in this dataset had covered 90,715 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 75.2% of the time, April–September 77.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements", noted on 8.34% of tests.
- 4,470 recorded tests behind this page.
- 76.4% overall pass rate, 71.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Toyota MR2, the average is 75.9% — best year 2008 (83.8%), worst 2000 (73.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 4,470
- Typical mileage (median)
- 90,715 mi
- Make and model
- Toyota MR2
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Brake Discs and Pads Set
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the MR2 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Toyota MR2 is most common
Across all MR2 model years on record (2000–2008): 10,391 Toyota MR2 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 24,988 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 297 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (B) | 297 | 79.4% |
| 2 | Coventry (CV) | 231 | 78.5% |
| 3 | Sheffield (S) | 230 | 78.7% |
| 4 | Ashford (TN) | 204 | 77.2% |
| 5 | Nottingham (NG) | 203 | 71.3% |
| 6 | Norwich (NR) | 198 | 73.3% |
| 7 | Leicester (LE) | 197 | 77.6% |
| 8 | Peterborough (PE) | 196 | 80.1% |
| 9 | Portsmouth (PO) | 194 | 72.8% |
| 10 | Bristol (BS) | 194 | 73.6% |
| 11 | Derby (DE) | 182 | 77.1% |
| 12 | Northampton (NN) | 175 | 78.7% |
| 13 | Doncaster (DN) | 166 | 74.4% |
| 14 | Reading (RG) | 159 | 72.7% |
| 15 | Gloucester (GL) | 158 | 72.4% |
| 16 | Guildford (GU) | 158 | 75.6% |
| 17 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 157 | 79.8% |
| 18 | Southampton (SO) | 156 | 73.8% |
| 19 | Exeter (EX) | 141 | 70.2% |
| 20 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 140 | 74.6% |
The twenty areas with the most Toyota MR2 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →
Regional pass rates for the MR2
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 937 | 79.4% |
| South West | 647 | 71.4% |
| East of England | 548 | 78.6% |
| West Midlands | 492 | 76.0% |
| North West | 455 | 76.0% |
| Yorkshire | 377 | 79.0% |
| East Midlands | 327 | 78.0% |
| Wales | 232 | 72.8% |
| Scotland | 230 | 70.4% |
| North East | 157 | 76.4% |
| London | 68 | 80.9% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 MR2
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 MR2
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 4.6% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
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.
-
Check the exhaust and emissions 2.8% of tests
“catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the windscreen 2.5% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 MR2 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £37–£103 — and 28% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £37–£103
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd…
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 28%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 4,470 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the MR2, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2000 to 2008. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.4% to 83.8% — a spread of 10.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.4% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2001 74.2% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2002 74.2% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2003 76.4%rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2004 76.4% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2005 77.8% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2006 79.2% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2007 76.7% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
- 2008 83.8% catalyst emissions lambda reading…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Toyota MR2 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 cars with a similar record
- MG Tf 76.5%
- Land Rover Discovery 76.1%
- Land Rover Range Rover 76.0%
- BMW 3 Series 76.9%
- SEAT Leon 75.8%
- BMW 530 77.1%
Closest pass rates among 2003 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Toyota MR2 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 9,505 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 2,619 | 27.40% | 20.89% | +6.51 |
| Suspension | 2,433 | 25.40% | 20.98% | +4.42 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 1,201 | 12.60% | 12.21% | +0.39 |
| Tyres | 1,002 | 10.50% | 19.76% | −9.26 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 967 | 10.10% | 5.52% | +4.58 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 455 | 4.80% | 5.57% | −0.77 |
| Visibility | 341 | 3.60% | 4.97% | −1.37 |
| Steering | 195 | 2.00% | 2.57% | −0.57 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 149 | 1.60% | 1.76% | −0.16 |
| Non-component advisories | 143 | 1.50% | 4.18% | −2.68 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 8.3% | £45–110 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 4.6% | £5–25 |
| Parking brake performance inoperative on one side Brakes | Major | 4.2% | £60–150 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.1% | £5–20 |
| Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.8% | £60–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 2.5% | £80–200 |
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 2.4% | £25–65 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.0% | £60–150 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 1.9% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.9% | £3–12 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 11.5% | £45–110 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 11.4% | £25–65 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 10.2% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.4% | £200–700 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 8.1% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 6.2% | £80–180 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 112 | 94.6% | 20,910 mi |
| 30-60k | 659 | 83.0% | 48,111 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,418 | 77.4% | 76,084 mi |
| 90-120k | 1,397 | 74.4% | 103,464 mi |
| 120k+ | 878 | 70.6% | 140,099 mi |
Source: 4,470 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 MR2 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Toyota MR2?
76.4% of the 4,470 2003 Toyota MR2 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 71.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Toyota MR2?
The three most recorded items are rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (8.34%), headlamp lens slightly defective (4.59%), parking brake performance inoperative on one side (4.21%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 94.6% of the time, falling to 70.6% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Toyota MR2 in this dataset had covered 90,715 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 75.2% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 77.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.