67.8%
Toyota MR2
Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate and common problems
The Toyota MR2 passed 67.8% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 4.5 percentage points below the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the MR2 compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
75.1%
Toyota average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The MR2 runs 7.3 points behind the Toyota average. It is 27th of the 32 Toyota models in the data. The average MR2 arrived at its test 25.3 years old with 95,027 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
MR2 MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years (small sample) | 2 | 100% | 27.7 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years (small sample) | 14 | 92.9% | 20.6 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 9,702 | 67.8% | 4.5 pts below |
Too few tests fall into some age groups to compare them reliably. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where MR2 failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on Toyota MR2 cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Brakes and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment together account for 49.1% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common MR2 MOT failures
Specific items recorded on Toyota MR2 cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 38.5% of everything testers recorded against failed Toyota MR2 cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a MR2
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Brakes
Recorded most often: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements, parking brake performance inoperative on one side, service brake performance excessively binding and rbt (sp) efficiency less than 50% of the required value. 19.8% of failure items.
2
Noise, emissions and leaks
Recorded most often: catalyst emissions lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits and catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits. 6.1% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect. 5.6% of failure items.
4
Suspension
Recorded most often: component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength. 4% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific MR2 has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used Toyota MR2 buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Toyota MR2 MOT FAQs
What is the Toyota MR2 MOT pass rate?
67.8% of Toyota MR2 cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 9,718 tests. That is 4.5 percentage points below the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 389th of 575 models.
What does a Toyota MR2 most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on Toyota MR2 cars failing their 2025 MOT was rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements, on 8.4% of failure items. Next were parking brake performance inoperative on one side (5.2%) and component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (4%).
Which area causes the most Toyota MR2 MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was brakes at 30.1%, followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment at 19%.
Does this mean every Toyota MR2 has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every Toyota MR2 that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific Toyota MR2's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.