Toyota Vitz MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Toyota Vitz MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Toyota Vitz passed on its first attempt in 86.4%, and its overall record sits +6.8 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Toyota Vitz in the 2023–2025 data: 5,405 tests across 14 model years (2008–2021). 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 Vitz MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Toyota Vitz DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Toyota Vitz, each with how many of the model's 5,405 tests it was noted on.

• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 168 Toyota Vitz tests, 3.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" (Major) — noted on about 122 Toyota Vitz tests, 2.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 103 Toyota Vitz tests, 1.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp lens slightly defective" (Minor) — noted on about 99 Toyota Vitz tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rear fog lamp missing" (Major) — noted on about 92 Toyota Vitz tests, 1.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 80 Toyota Vitz tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Toyota Vitz Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Toyota Vitz model year on record is 2016 (94.6% across 74 tests), and the weakest is 2008 (79.8%). The gap between them is 14.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Toyota Vitz reliability is declining in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 2.0 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 Vitz Owners

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

• the suspension joints — “linkage ball joint dust cover 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 — “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.

• 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 Vitz. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the Toyota Vitz is most common

Across every Vitz model year 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.

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 →

Frequently Asked Questions: Toyota Vitz MOT & Reliability