77.6%
Toyota RAV4 pass rate
Used Toyota RAV4 buying guide
In 2025, Toyota RAV4 cars passed 77.6% of 132,184 initial MOT tests, 5.3 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific RAV4? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Toyota RAV4 MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+5.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the RAV4 sits 231st of 575 models in the data. Toyota as a brand averaged 75.1%, so this model runs 2.5 points ahead of its own brand. Toyota RAV4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.3%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Toyota RAV4 MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the RAV4 compares with similar cars.
RAV4 fuel types
Hybrid electric was the most common fuel among Toyota RAV4 cars tested in 2025. Diesel still made up 31.7% of tests.
Where the RAV4 fails its MOT
Where Toyota RAV4 cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (6%), position lamp not working (5.1%) and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (5%). See every common RAV4 MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Toyota RAV4 that failed, not a claim that every RAV4 has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used RAV4?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 23.9% of RAV4 failure items.
2
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. 22.9% of RAV4 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. 15.9% of RAV4 failure items.
4
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. 10.5% of RAV4 failure items.
5
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 9.3% of RAV4 failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
RAV4 vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Toyota RAV4 failures cluster around suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact RAV4 you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Toyota history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Toyota models
The most-tested Toyota models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the RAV4.
Used Toyota RAV4 FAQs
Is the Toyota RAV4 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 77.6% first-time pass rate for the Toyota RAV4 across 132,184 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Toyota RAV4 cars fail their MOT more often?
Toyota RAV4 cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 91.5% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 64.3%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Toyota RAV4?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: suspension, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Toyota RAV4'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.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.