Pass rate
95.1%
Above average — 3.9 pts ahead of the 91.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 22,481 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £33–£77
2021 Toyota RAV4 MOT pass rate
- 2021
- 3 trims combined
- typical 29,391 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
54.9% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
3.2 pts down across model years — 6.1% in 2000, 2.9% in 2022.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 98.4% pass
- Avoid 2007 74.3% pass
Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 24.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 94.9%
- Typical mileage
- 29k mi
The 2021 Toyota RAV4 MOT pass rate is 95.1% of its MOT tests — 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 54.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Toyota RAV4 does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 2.8× the national share
Tyres make up 54.9% of everything recorded on the 2021 Toyota Rav4, against 19.8% nationally — 35.1 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- 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 91.2% and this one manages 95.1% — 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
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 RAV4? Get an email when these numbers change .
Every Toyota RAV4 first registered in 2021 is combined here — 3 trim and body variants in total — so the sample is as large as the DVSA data allows.
How does the 2021 Toyota RAV4 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 91.2%, so this figure is 3.9 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 94.9%. The median 2021 Toyota RAV4 in this dataset had covered 29,391 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Hybrid — 100% of tests, with a 95.1% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 95.5% of the time, April–September 94.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", noted on 2.09% of tests.
- 22,481 recorded tests behind this page.
- 95.1% overall pass rate, 94.9% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Toyota RAV4, the average is 86.6% — best year 2023 (98.4%), worst 2007 (74.3%).
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
- 22,481
- Typical mileage (median)
- 29,391 mi
- Make and model
- Toyota RAV4
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the RAV4 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 82% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Hybrid is the most common here (100% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the RAV4
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 5,309 | 95.7% |
| East of England | 2,692 | 92.6% |
| North West | 2,534 | 95.7% |
| Scotland | 2,081 | 94.3% |
| Yorkshire | 1,932 | 96.6% |
| South West | 1,879 | 93.9% |
| West Midlands | 1,716 | 95.0% |
| East Midlands | 1,575 | 95.3% |
| Wales | 989 | 96.3% |
| London | 903 | 96.3% |
| North East | 871 | 95.3% |
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 2021 RAV4
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 2021 RAV4
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 wipers and washers 1.6% of tests
“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.
-
Check the windscreen 1.4% 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.
-
Check the lights 1.0% of tests
“headlamp aim too low”
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.
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 2021 RAV4 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £33–£77 — and 42% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £33–£77
- Cheapest common item: side repeaters lens defective
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 42%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 22,481 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 RAV4, side by side
24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 74.3% to 98.4% — a spread of 24.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 74.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2001 75.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 75.3% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2003 75.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 76.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2005 77.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2006 74.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 74.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 74.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 75.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 80.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 81.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 84.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 85.5% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 86.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2015 87.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 88.6% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2017 89.1% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2018 89.9% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2019 94.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 95.2% wipers blade defective
- 2021 95.1%has a cut in excess of the…
- 2022 96.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2023 98.4% headlamp aim too high
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 2021 Toyota RAV4 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 2021 cars with a similar record
- Volvo XC40 R-Design B4 95.0%
- Volvo XC40 Inscription B4 95.0%
- Porsche Macan 95.2%
- Volvo XC40 Inscription Pro 95.2%
- Ford Puma 94.9%
- Kia Stonic GT-Line Isg 94.8%
Closest pass rates among 2021 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 2021 Toyota RAV4 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 9,533 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 5,242 | 54.90% | 19.76% | +35.14 |
| Visibility | 1,269 | 13.30% | 4.97% | +8.33 |
| Non-component advisories | 1,206 | 12.60% | 4.18% | +8.42 |
| Brakes | 772 | 8.10% | 20.89% | −12.79 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 604 | 6.30% | 12.21% | −5.91 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 270 | 2.80% | 1.76% | +1.04 |
| Suspension | 103 | 1.10% | 20.98% | −19.88 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 27 | 0.30% | 5.57% | −5.27 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 23 | 0.20% | 0.82% | −0.62 |
| Road Wheels | 17 | 0.20% | 0.75% | −0.55 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.1% | £45–95 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 1.6% | £8–22 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.4% | £80–200 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Rectified | 1.2% | £8–22 |
| Headlamp aim too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Rectified | 1.0% | £30–80 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 0.72% | £8–22 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 0.64% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 0.48% | £45–95 |
| Side repeaters lens defective which has no effect on emitted light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 0.37% | £3–15 |
| Washers provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | Rectified | 0.22% | £5–15 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 11.2% | £45–95 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.8% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | Advisory | 2.3% | £20–80 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–95 |
| Non-component advisories Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm Tyres | Advisory | 1.8% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 11,612 | 96.5% | 20,460 mi |
| 30-60k | 9,250 | 93.9% | 40,539 mi |
| 60-90k | 1,309 | 92.3% | 71,023 mi |
| 90-120k | 250 | 90.0% | 100,474 mi |
| 120k+ | 57 | 94.7% | 136,022 mi |
Source: 22,481 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.
2021 RAV4 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2021 Toyota RAV4?
95.1% of the 22,481 2021 Toyota RAV4 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 91.2% for cars first used in 2021. First-attempt pass rate: 94.9%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2021 Toyota RAV4?
The three most recorded items are has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (2.09%), wipers blade defective (1.63%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.42%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2021 Toyota RAV4 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 96.5% of the time, falling to 94.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2021 Toyota RAV4 in this dataset had covered 29,391 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2021 Toyota RAV4?
Hybrid: 95.1% pass rate across 22,447 tests. Petrol: 79.4% pass rate across 34 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2021 Toyota RAV4 MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 95.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 94.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.