Toyota Prius, Buying guide, MOT record and recalls
In 2025, the Toyota Prius passed 78.6% of 159,247 initial MOT tests, 6.3 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific Prius? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Toyota Prius at the MOT
78.6% of 159,247 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the Prius 218th of 575 models. Toyota Priuses aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 67.8%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Toyota Prius tests in 2025.
Where Priuses fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Toyota Prius tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were position lamp not working (8.7%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps (6%) and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2%).
The MOT page lists every common Prius MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The Prius's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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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.38.1% of Prius failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.15.4% of Prius failure items
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Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.12.8% of Prius failure items
Prius engine sizes
1.8 litre engines made up 86% of Toyota Prius MOT tests in 2025, followed by 1.5 litre at 13%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 157,905 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Toyota Prius recalls
26 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Toyota Prius. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every Prius is affected.
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Mar 2026 R/2026/027
Relay and Wire Harness installation on certain Prius
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- For affected vehicles that are equipped with an electric rear door lock system which includes a door opener switch and a rear door lock release actuator If the seal performance for this switch is reduced this can temporarily allow water to enter the switch which can cause the switch to activate and the door could open unexpectedly.
- Remedy
- Installation of relay and wire harness.
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Oct 2021 R/2021/332
Incorrect programming in relation to transmission shift position status might cause hybrid system to shut down
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Due to incorrect programming the hybrid vehicle ECU can incorrectly determine that the validation signal is erroneous for the shifter position
- Remedy
- Reprogram the Hybrid ECU.
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Aug 2021 R/2021/260
The pre-crash brake assist function can be delayed
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Reprogram the Brake booster assembly with master cylinder ECU.
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Jul 2020 R/2020/190
Under certain circumstances the hybrid unit may shut down and cause loss of motive power
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Reprogram the Power Management ECU.
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Mar 2020 R/2020/025
Improper assembly of the electrical contacts in the driver's seat belt reminder switch
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- An improper assembly of the electrical contacts in the reminder switch for the driver seat belt
- Remedy
- Replace driver side seat inner belt.
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Jan 2020 R/2019/440
An electrical short circuit in the combination meter could occur
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Inspect and replace the meter circuit plate based on the inspection result
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Nov 2019 R/2019/333
Incorrectly installed covers could prevent the seat-mounted side airbag from deploying
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- Incorrectly installed covers could prevent the seat-mounted side air bag from deploying properly.
- Remedy
- Inspect the covers installed on the front seats and replace any incorrectly installed covers
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Nov 2019 R/2019/248
Brake booster pump may stop working
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- An electrical connection within the motor may cause the brake booster pump to stop operating
- Remedy
- Inspect and replace the brake booster pump assembly if necessary.
Prius vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
Other Toyota models
The most-tested Toyota models in 2025, against the Prius's 78.6% MOT pass rate.
Toyota Prius FAQs
Is the Toyota Prius 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 78.6% first-time pass rate for the Toyota Prius across 159,247 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Toyota Prius had any recalls?
26 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Toyota Prius. The most recent was published in March 2026. 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 Prius?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, suspension and tyres. 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 Prius'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 a Prius?
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. 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.