Pass rate
87.0%
Above average — 9.8 pts ahead of the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,366 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £11–£31
2012 Toyota Vitz MOT pass rate
- 2012
- typical 46,046 mi
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Lamps & electrics
27.3% of faults · 12.2% nationally
Part only £6–£18 for Registration plate lamp inoperative (multiple lamps). What fitting it takes →
Which year to buy
- Best 2016 94.6% pass
- Avoid 2008 79.8% pass
Across the 14 years on record, a spread of 14.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 85.4%
- Typical mileage
- 46k mi
The 2012 Toyota Vitz MOT pass rate is 87.0% of its MOT tests — 9.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Lamps & electrics is the biggest single reason it fails, at 27.3% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Lamps & electrics: 2.2× the national share
Lamps & electrics make up 27.3% of everything recorded on the 2012 Toyota Vitz, against 12.2% nationally — 15.1 points above. Walk round the car with the lights on before the test: bulbs, indicators and number-plate lamps are the cheapest failures to prevent and among the most common.
- 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 77.2% and this one manages 87.0% — 9.8 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 Vitz? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2012 Toyota Vitz compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 9.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 85.4%. The median 2012 Toyota Vitz in this dataset had covered 46,046 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Petrol — 99% of tests, with a 87.0% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 86.3% of the time, April–September 87.4%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt", noted on 2.86% of tests.
- 1,366 recorded tests behind this page.
- 87.0% overall pass rate, 85.4% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Toyota Vitz, the average is 87.8% — best year 2016 (94.6%), worst 2008 (79.8%).
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
- 1,366
- Typical mileage (median)
- 46,046 mi
- Make and model
- Toyota Vitz
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Vitz MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Petrol is the most common here (99% of tests).
Where the Toyota Vitz is most common
Across all Vitz model years on record (2008–2021): 3,316 Toyota Vitz cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 5,405 tests. Manchester (M) has the most, with 300 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 | Manchester (M) | 300 | 92.1% |
| 2 | Birmingham (B) | 293 | 93.1% |
| 3 | Bolton (BL) | 155 | 88.6% |
| 4 | Romford (RM) | 150 | 92.7% |
| 5 | London (E) | 146 | 92.4% |
| 6 | Hayes (UB) | 117 | 92.8% |
| 7 | Ilford (IG) | 90 | 91.7% |
| 8 | Leicester (LE) | 81 | 92.4% |
| 9 | Croydon (CR) | 78 | 96.3% |
| 10 | Bradford (BD) | 76 | 92.9% |
| 11 | Wembley (HA) | 75 | 89.1% |
| 12 | London (N) | 71 | 94.0% |
| 13 | Blackburn (BB) | 69 | 97.2% |
| 14 | Oldham (OL) | 67 | 85.8% |
| 15 | Stoke On Trent (ST) | 64 | 85.3% |
| 16 | Luton (LU) | 61 | 89.6% |
| 17 | Leeds (LS) | 57 | 90.1% |
| 18 | Southampton (SO) | 56 | 80.2% |
| 19 | London (NW) | 54 | 86.5% |
| 20 | Slough (SL) | 53 | 91.9% |
The twenty areas with the most Toyota Vitz 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 Vitz
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 325 | 84.9% |
| North West | 280 | 89.3% |
| London | 207 | 91.8% |
| West Midlands | 199 | 87.4% |
| East of England | 98 | 86.7% |
| East Midlands | 76 | 82.9% |
| Yorkshire | 73 | 90.4% |
| South West | 36 | 69.4% |
| Wales | 31 | 83.9% |
| Scotland | 31 | 80.6% |
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 2012 Vitz
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 2012 Vitz
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 suspension joints 2.9% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt”
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.
-
Check the lights 2.3% of tests
“rear fog lamp missing”
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 wipers and washers 2.0% 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.
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 2012 Vitz through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £11–£31 — and 54% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £11–£31
- Cheapest common item: rear fog lamp missing
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust…
- £18–£45
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 100%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 54%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,366 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 Vitz, side by side
14 model years on record, from 2008 to 2021. Across them the pass rate runs from 79.8% to 94.6% — a spread of 14.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2008 79.8% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2009 84.5% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2010 83.9% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2011 85.4% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2012 87.0%linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2013 89.0% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2014 93.1% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2015 88.7% linkage ball joint dust cover…
- 2016 94.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2017 91.7% wipers blade defective
- 2018 93.4% rear fog lamp not working
- 2019 86.6% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2020 86.7% mirrors slightly damaged
- 2021 85.1% linkage ball joint dust cover…
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 2012 Toyota Vitz 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 2012 cars with a similar record
Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Toyota Vitz 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 1,094 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 300 | 27.30% | 12.21% | +15.09 |
| Tyres | 263 | 23.90% | 19.76% | +4.14 |
| Suspension | 242 | 22.00% | 20.98% | +1.02 |
| Brakes | 128 | 11.60% | 20.89% | −9.29 |
| Visibility | 81 | 7.40% | 4.97% | +2.43 |
| Non-component advisories | 43 | 3.90% | 4.18% | −0.28 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 20 | 1.80% | 5.57% | −3.77 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 7 | 0.60% | 5.52% | −4.92 |
| Steering | 6 | 0.50% | 2.57% | −2.07 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4 | 0.40% | 0.82% | −0.42 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.9% | £18–45 |
| Rear fog lamp missing Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.3% | £3–15 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.1% | £18–45 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 2.0% | £8–22 |
| Rear fog lamp does not emit a steady red light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.9% | £3–15 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.6% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.5% | £5–20 |
| Rear fog lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.5% | £3–15 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | Major | 1.3% | £18–45 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 8.5% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 7.0% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 4.2% | £40–150 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 3.6% | £18–45 |
| Headlamp has a product on the lens so that the light output is severely reduced Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Advisory | 2.2% | £5–25 |
| Non-component advisories Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | Advisory | 1.5% | £20–80 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 269 | 89.2% | 20,886 mi |
| 30-60k | 761 | 86.9% | 45,159 mi |
| 60-90k | 300 | 86.0% | 70,376 mi |
| 90-120k | 28 | 82.1% | 98,833 mi |
| 120k+ | 3 | 66.7% | 126,371 mi |
Source: 1,366 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.
2012 Vitz MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Toyota Vitz?
87.0% of the 1,366 2012 Toyota Vitz tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 85.4%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Toyota Vitz?
The three most recorded items are linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (2.86%), linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (2.86%), rear fog lamp missing (2.27%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2012 Toyota Vitz MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 89.2% of the time, falling to 66.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Toyota Vitz in this dataset had covered 46,046 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2012 Toyota Vitz?
Petrol: 87.0% pass rate across 1,351 tests. Hybrid: 91.7% pass rate across 12 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2012 Toyota Vitz MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 86.3% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 87.4%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.