Toyota Prius Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Toyota Prius passes its MOT first time on 77.5% of tests, 9.7 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (67.9%). That puts it ahead of 91% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2017 Prius does best (beats 99% of cars) and the 2006 worst (beats 78%).

Of its engines, the 1.8 Hybrid does best (beats 94%) and the 1.5 Hybrid worst (beats 82%).

Better than average on tyres, suspension, visibility.

Watch these weak spots

Number plate lights1.6×as often as a typical car

Rear fog light1.6×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Toyota PriusTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 82%

Beats 79%

Beats 81%

Beats 78%

Beats 82%

Beats 87%

Beats 85%

Beats 86%

Beats 86%

Beats 93%

Beats 93%

Beats 93%

Beats 90%

Beats 98%

Beats 99%

Beats 98%

Beats 95%

Beats 91%

Beats 99%

Beats 99%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	2009–2022	899,303	80.5%	Beats 94%	A
1.5 Hybrid	2003–2010	160,594	65.0%	Beats 82%	A
1.8 OT	2009–2014	30,593	73.4%	Beats 88%	A
1.5 Petrol	2004–2009	23,174	65.5%	Beats 83%	A
1.5 OT	2005–2009	21,601	69.1%	Beats 91%	A
1.8 Petrol	2009–2012	18,097	72.5%	Beats 90%	A

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Lights: 12.2% of tests fail on lights & electrics, against 14.3% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Walk round the car with every light on, including brake, fog and number plate lights.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

12.2% vs 14.3%

Tyres

4.9% vs 7.2%

Suspension

4.2% vs 10.3%

Visibility

4.0% vs 5.2%

Brakes

3.6% vs 8.0%

Body & structure

1.5% vs 3.7%

Emissions & leaks

1.2% vs 3.9%

Steering

0.5% vs 2.2%

Wheels

0.5% vs 0.5%

Seat belts & airbags

0.4% vs 1.2%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Number plate lights 1.6× typical
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Headlight bulbs & units
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Windscreen wipers
Test the washers and wipers: a cheap fix, but a very common MOT fail.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.
Tyre tread depth
Check every tyre, including the inner edge, has at least 3 mm of tread. Uneven wear can point to alignment or suspension problems.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Toyota PriusTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Sidelights	3.9%	3.7%	1.1×
Number plate lights	3.7%	2.3%	1.6×
Headlight bulbs & units	2.6%	2.7%	1.0×
Windscreen wipers	2.4%	2.2%	1.1×
Headlight aim	2.4%	3.9%	0.6×
Tyre damage & cracking	2.3%	3.7%	0.6×
Tyre tread depth	2.3%	3.2%	0.7×
Brake pads	1.4%	2.5%	0.6×
Windscreen washers	1.3%	2.4%	0.5×
Rear fog light	1.2%	0.7%	1.6×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	33.1
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	27.7
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	23.6
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	23.6
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	22.6
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED	15.9
A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc	15.7
A tyre seriously damaged	14.9

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2022 Toyota Prius1 engine92.2% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	3,406	92.2%	Beats 99%	A

2021 Toyota Prius1 engine91.6% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	8,861	91.6%	Beats 99%	A

2020 Toyota Prius1 engine87.8% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	35,281	87.8%	Beats 91%	A

2019 Toyota Prius1 engine86.9% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	76,798	86.9%	Beats 95%	A

2018 Toyota Prius1 engine87.7% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	77,511	87.7%	Beats 98%	A

2017 Toyota Prius1 engine87.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	88,156	87.4%	Beats 99%	A

2016 Toyota Prius1 engine85.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid report →	102,556	85.4%	Beats 98%	A

2015 Toyota Prius1 engine80.0% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	98,573	80.0%	Beats 90%	A

2014 Toyota Prius2 engines79.4% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	93,336	79.4%	Beats 93%	A
1.8 OT	1,290	75.6%	Beats 68%	B

2013 Toyota Prius2 engines77.5% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	79,750	77.7%	Beats 93%	A
1.8 OT	1,981	70.3%	Beats 61%	B

2012 Toyota Prius3 engines75.6% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	71,500	75.4%	Beats 93%	A
1.8 OT	5,744	77.1%	Beats 93%	A
1.8 Petrol	2,966	77.1%	Beats 95%	A

2011 Toyota Prius3 engines71.2% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	58,792	70.9%	Beats 86%	A
1.8 OT	7,556	73.5%	Beats 88%	A
1.8 Petrol	4,621	72.6%	Beats 88%	A

2010 Toyota Prius4 engines69.6% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	71,337	69.0%	Beats 85%	A
1.8 OT	9,355	72.2%	Beats 90%	A
1.8 Petrol	6,935	72.0%	Beats 91%	A
1.5 Hybrid	3,241	71.1%	Beats 89%	A

2009 Toyota Prius6 engines68.5% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Hybrid	33,446	67.9%	Beats 84%	A
1.5 Hybrid	16,147	67.9%	Beats 85%	A
1.8 OT	4,667	71.6%	Beats 90%	A
1.8 Petrol	3,575	69.5%	Beats 87%	A
1.5 OT	2,485	73.1%	Beats 94%	A
1.5 Petrol	2,130	68.2%	Beats 85%	A

2008 Toyota Prius3 engines67.5% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	46,533	66.7%	Beats 85%	A
1.5 OT	6,735	72.2%	Beats 95%	A
1.5 Petrol	6,640	68.1%	Beats 88%	A

2007 Toyota Prius3 engines65.3% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	45,168	65.0%	Beats 81%	A
1.5 Petrol	6,770	65.3%	Beats 82%	A
1.5 OT	6,547	67.6%	Beats 87%	A

2006 Toyota Prius3 engines62.6% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	24,996	62.2%	Beats 76%	B
1.5 Petrol	3,705	62.3%	Beats 78%	B
1.5 OT	3,438	65.8%	Beats 87%	A

2005 Toyota Prius3 engines62.9% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	17,104	62.4%	Beats 79%	B
1.5 Petrol	2,803	63.9%	Beats 85%	A
1.5 OT	2,396	64.8%	Beats 88%	A

2004 Toyota Prius2 engines61.5% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	6,325	61.6%	Beats 79%	B
1.5 Petrol	1,126	60.8%	Beats 79%	B

2003 Toyota Prius1 engine63.0% passA

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.5 Hybrid	1,080	63.0%	Beats 82%	A

FAQ

What is the Toyota Prius MOT pass rate?

77.5% of MOT tests on the Toyota Prius were passed first time, based on 1,153,362 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 2003–2022. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 67.9% of the time.

Is the Toyota Prius reliable?

On MOT results it rates A (excellent): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 91% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Toyota Prius year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2017 Prius does best for its age and mileage: it beats 99% of cars on UK roads. The 2006 does worst: it beats 78%.

Which Toyota Prius engine is best?

Across all years, the 1.8 Hybrid does best: it beats 94% of cars on UK roads. The 1.5 Hybrid does worst: it beats 82%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Toyota Prius?

The most common failure items are sidelights, number plate lights, headlight bulbs & units. Compared with similar cars, number plate lights comes up 1.6× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Toyota Prius reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ