Toyota Starlet MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Toyota Starlet MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Toyota Starlet passed on its first attempt in 82.5%, and its overall record sits +3.2 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Toyota Starlet in the 2023–2025 data: 590 tests across 7 model years (2005–2017). 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 Starlet MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Toyota Starlet, 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 Starlet's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Toyota Starlet DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Toyota Starlet, each with how many of the model's 590 tests it was noted on.

• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 34 Toyota Starlet tests, 5.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 13 Toyota Starlet tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 10 Toyota Starlet tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rear fog lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 9 Toyota Starlet tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Emissions not tested unable to be completed" (Major) — noted on about 9 Toyota Starlet tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits" (Major) — noted on about 8 Toyota Starlet tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Toyota Starlet Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Toyota Starlet model year on record is 2009 (88.9% across 54 tests), and the weakest is 2010 (79.2%). The gap between them is 9.7 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Toyota Starlet reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Toyota Starlet Owners

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

• the exhaust and emissions — “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.

• the lights — “rear fog lamp not working”

  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 steering — “steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,”

  With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Toyota Starlet MOT & Reliability