Toyota Starlet MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Toyota Starlet took 3,672 MOT tests in Britain and passed 66% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 3,672
First-time pass rate: 66%
All cars: 71%

What the Starlet fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Lights and electrics13.3% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension10.7% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes10.0% (all cars 6.8%)
Body and structure9.2% (all cars 3.5%)
Exhaust and emissions7.6% (all cars 3.1%)
Visibility6.5% (all cars 4.8%)
Tyres5.9% (all cars 6.4%)
Seat belts and airbags1.7% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 4.7%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak 4.1%
Service brake imbalance: across an axle 3.7%
Stop lamp: not working 3.6%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 3.6%
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits 3.4%
Position lamp: not working 3.2%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 3.0%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 14.8%
Wheel bearings: has slight play 11.9%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 11.7%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 11.4%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 11.3%
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread 9.5%
Coil spring: corroded 9.0%
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 8.8%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
1996	395	63%
1997	906	64%
1998	1,303	62%
1999	613	69%

Check a particular Starlet

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other Toyota models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.