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Toyota iQ, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls

15,966 Toyota iQs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 73.8% of initial MOT tests, 1.5 points above the 72.3% UK average.

Looking at a specific iQ? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.

Toyota iQ at the MOT

73.8% of 16,623 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the iQ 284th of 575 models. Toyota iQs aged 6 to 10 years passed 86.3% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 73.5%.

First-time pass rate, 2025

Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.

  • Toyota iQ73.8%
  • All Toyota modelsThe iQ is 1.3 pts behind75.1%
  • All cars72.3%

Pass rate by age at test

Toyota iQ tests in 2025.

  • 6 to 10 years466 tests86.3%
  • 11 years and over16,151 tests73.5%

Where iQs fail

Share of all failure items recorded on Toyota iQ tests in 2025.

  • Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment31.3%
  • Suspension17.5%
  • Brakes17.2%
  • Visibility13.5%
  • Tyres8.6%

The items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (7.4%), position lamp not working (7.2%) and linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (5.9%).

The MOT page lists every common iQ MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.

Full Toyota iQ MOT record

What to look at on a viewing

The iQ's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.

  1. Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

    Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.31.3% of iQ failure items

  2. Suspension

    Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.17.5% of iQ failure items

  3. Brakes

    Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing.17.2% of iQ failure items

Toyota iQs in the UK

15,966 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has fallen 16% since the end of 2014.

Change since 2014
−16%from 18,951 licensed
Typical year of first use
2010half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2010 or earlier
Declared off the road
7754.6% of those registered, under SORN

Licensed Toyota iQs since 2014

Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.

Show the figures
DateLicensed
End of 201418,951
End of 201518,798
End of 201618,563
End of 201718,242
End of 201817,914
End of 201917,622
End of 202017,399
End of 202117,267
End of 202217,171
End of 202316,956
End of 202416,604
End of 202516,207
End of June 202615,966

How old they are

Licensed Toyota iQs by year of first use.

A further 9 were first used before 2009.

Show the figures
First usedLicensed, end 2025
2014820
20131,279
20122,250
20112,429
20103,531
20095,833

iQ engine sizes

1.0 litre engines made up 86% of Toyota iQ MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.3 litre at 14%. Petrol accounts for 100% of licensed iQs.

Engine size at MOT, 2025

Share of 16,620 initial MOT tests in 2025.

  • 1.0 litre86.3%
  • 1.3 litre13.6%

Toyota iQ recalls

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Toyota iQ. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every iQ is affected.

  1. Jan 2015 R/2014/160

    Risk of fire

    iQs built Oct 2008 to Sep 2010 · 7,884 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Oil may accumulate in the turbo charger and in certain circumstances flow into the combustion chamber. This may cause engine damage. In extreme cases oil can be ejected from the engine and if it comes in contact with an ignition source may result in a fire.
    Remedy
    Depending vehicle diagnosis modify intercooler layout to improve air flow; upgrade ECU software; upgrade turbo charger and/or vacuum pump

  2. Jun 2011 R/2011/066

    Braking efficiency could be reduced

    iQs built Oct 2008 to May 2010 · 12,167 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    Due to possible contamination within a brake pipe on right-hand drive vehicles foreign material can potential enter the brake master cylinder and cause damage to the brake seals. This can result in a reduction of braking efficiency and increased brake travel.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles where the brake master cylinder and offending brake pipe will be replaced.

  3. Dec 2010 R/2010/198

    Electric power steering sensor may malfunction

    iQs built Sep 2008 to Oct 2010 · 12,799 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    If the vehicle is driven over/on certain types of roadside safety side strips (Rumble Strips) it is possible that the Electric Power Steering (EPS) control unit could incorrectly interpret the signal from the sensor. This could result in the need for the driver to apply extra effort into steering the vehicle under some driving conditions.
    Remedy
    Recall all affected vehicles and either reprogramme the EPS control unit or the replacement of the steering column and control unit.

  4. Feb 2010 R/2010/010

    Accelerator pedal may fail to return to idle

    iQs built Nov 2008 to Nov 2009 · 174,426 vehicles across the whole recall

    Defect and remedy
    Defect
    It has been identified that on affected vehicles condensation resulting from cold-weather use of the heater or other causes may form on the worn surface of a component within the throttle pedal assembly known as the friction device. If this occurs there is a possibility that in the worst case the accelerator pedal may return slowly or does not return to the engine idle position.
    Remedy
    Recalled vehicles will have a precision-cut steel reinforcing bar fitted into the accelerator pedal assembly which will create a space in order to reduce the surface tension between the friction device and a component referred to as the pedal arm. The subject bar also strengthens the reaction force of the spring that returns the accelerator pedal to it's non-pressed position.
How to check a specific iQ for recalls

Other Toyota models

The most-tested Toyota models in 2025, against the iQ's 73.8% MOT pass rate.

All 32 Toyota models

Toyota iQ FAQs

How many Toyota iQs are there in the UK?

15,966 Toyota iQs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 775 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.

Is the Toyota iQ reliable?

MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 73.8% first-time pass rate for the Toyota iQ across 16,623 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.

Has the Toyota iQ had any recalls?

4 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Toyota iQ. The most recent was published in January 2015. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.

What should I check before buying a used Toyota iQ?

On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and brakes. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.

How do I check a Toyota iQ's history?

Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.

Already found an iQ?

Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.

Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Toyota history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Toyota VIN check.

  • Outstanding finance
  • Write-off records
  • Stolen markers
  • Mileage history
  • Previous keepers

MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.