MOT fail rates by first-use year

2012 Toyota Prius MOT fail rate and common faults

How Toyota Prius cars first used in 2012 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 32,744 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 13 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 13 (n=7,880)27.7%

All cars at 13 years (n=6,612,160)38.3%

Difference−10.6 pts

MOT tests of 2012 cars, 2022 to 202532,744

What stands out

In 2025, at 13 years old, Toyota Prius cars first used in 2012 failed 27.7% of MOTs (7,880 tests), 10.6 points below the 38.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 10 to 13 years old, the fail rate moved from 22.8% to 27.7%.
Toyota Prius cars first used a year earlier, in 2011, failed 31.0% at the same age of 13 years (7,121 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Toyota Prius at 13 years, is linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, at 1.7 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.4).

MOT fail rate by test year

Toyota Prius cars first used in 2012: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	10 years	22.8%	9,294	30.3%	−7.5 pts
2023	11 years	24.0%	7,716	33.3%	−9.2 pts
2024	12 years	27.8%	7,854	36.0%	−8.2 pts
2025	13 years	27.7%	7,880	38.3%	−10.6 pts

Most common faults at 13 years

These figures cover all Toyota Prius MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=31,757). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Side/position light not working Wear	6.9	4.8
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Wear	4.0	1.8
Dipped headlight not working Wear	2.6	2.2
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	2.4	2.1
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.1	3.0
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Wear	2.0	1.8
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	1.7	1.4
Shock absorber leaking	1.7	1.5
Engine warning lamp at the petrol emissions check: not working or showing a fault	1.7	1.1
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	1.7	2.1

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=31,757). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	12.4	18.2
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	9.3	5.1
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	8.6	10.6
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	6.6	9.1
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	6.6	7.3
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	5.7	8.0
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	5.3	5.2
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Wear	4.5	3.3
Shock absorber misting oil	4.4	4.0
Headlamp: has a product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Wear	3.8	0.8

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=31,757). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 13 years

These figures cover all Toyota Prius MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=31,757). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Hybrid	100.0%	30.5%	31,753	27.5%	159,712 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 13 years

These figures cover all Toyota Prius MOTs at 13 years: cars first used 2009 to 2012, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=31,757). At 13 years, Toyota Prius cars at over 150,000 miles failed more often (33.6%, n=16,852) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (18.4%, n=2,048). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles	18.4%	2,048	29.1%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	24.7%	4,354	38.0%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	30.9%	4,369	42.2%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	32.0%	3,565	43.2%
Over 150,000 miles	33.6%	16,852	43.0%

Car tax rules for a 2012 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Hybrids follow the Euro standard of their petrol or diesel engine.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Toyota Prius

2011 Toyota Prius 2013 Toyota Prius

Other Toyota models first used in 2012

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Toyota Yaris (2012)	13 years in 2025	33.0%	27,426	38.3%
Toyota Aygo (2012)	13 years in 2025	36.0%	14,689	38.3%
Toyota Auris (2012)	13 years in 2025	33.9%	8,377	38.3%
Toyota Avensis (2012)	13 years in 2025	31.2%	4,523	38.3%
Toyota Hilux (2012)	13 years in 2025	40.3%	3,694	38.3%
Toyota RAV4 (2012)	13 years in 2025	28.9%	3,278	38.3%
Toyota Verso (2012)	13 years in 2025	35.2%	2,840	38.3%
Toyota iQ (2012)	13 years in 2025	23.5%	2,328	38.3%

More on the Toyota Prius

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2012 Toyota Prius cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.