Model Reports 5 min read Updated 29 Sep 2026

Toyota Auris 2016: reliability & common MOT faults

How often a 2016 Toyota Auris passed its MOT first time in 2025, and what most often let it down.

How the first MOT went

79 21

Passed first time

79 in every 100

78.8% of 14,103 first tests in 2025.

Did not pass first time

21 in every 100

2,987 failed first-attempt tests. Cars repaired at the test station the same day are included.

What failed most often

Brake light (rear)

12 in every 100
Tyre condition (rear)

8 in every 100
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

6 in every 100

Out of every 100 first tests that failed, not out of all tests.

The typical car is 9.0 years old with about 68,068 miles.

How we count this

Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

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Common faults

Failure patterns that show up more often on this registration year than on similar cars of the same class, age, and mileage.

Standout: Brake light (rear), 11.5% of this year's failed first attempts

Recorded on 344 of those tests. That is about 4.0 times as often as on similar cars of the same age and mileage. It is also the most common failure on this year. The full ranked list is in the table below.

No fault was sharply out of line for this year. These are the largest differences from similar cars.

Shares below are measured across the 2,984 of 2,987 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

Ranked patterns

Fault pattern	Location	Failures	vs similar cars	Share of fails	Confidence
Brake light (rear) Stop lamp	Rear	344	×4.0	11.5%	Likely
Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)	Front	80	×3.7	2.7%	Likely
Handbrake performance (roller test, rear) Parking brake performance	Rear	69	×3.1	2.3%	Likely
Number plate lights (rear) Registration plate lamp(s)	Rear	141	×2.8	4.7%	Possible
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)	Front	142	×2.6	4.8%	Possible
Shock absorbers (rear)	Rear	136	×2.4	4.6%	Possible

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the table.

Note: Rates and comparisons are among first-attempt failed tests, not all MOTs. Patterns come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer service bulletins, recalls, or a diagnosis of any individual car. Failures and advisories are listed separately.

Wear patterns

Usage and mileage effects that often track road use rather than model design.

These patterns look like wear or usage effects rather than model-specific design faults. Tyres, brake friction material, and alignment-related defects often track mileage and road use.

Pattern	Location	Failures	vs similar cars	Share of fails	Confidence
Headlight aim not tested (front) Headlamp aim not tested	Front	23	×2.3	0.8%	Wear

Note: These patterns are not treated as a model design fault in our common-faults ranking.

Advisories

Notes recorded at the test that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory notes recorded on failed first-attempt tests that appear more often than on similar cars.

Advisory pattern	Location	Notes	vs similar cars	Share	Confidence
Macpherson strut (front)	Front	51	×11	1.7%	Likely
Shock absorbers (rear)	Rear	309	×4.8	10.4%	Possible
Suspension arm (front)	Front	47	×4.7	1.6%	Elevated
Brake performance (plate test, rear) Service brake performance	Rear	30	×3.0	1.0%	Elevated
Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)	Rear	69	×2.6	2.3%	Possible
Suspension sub-frame (rear)	Rear	41	×2.0	1.4%	Elevated

Note: Advisories are not a fail rate; they flag issues noted at the test, often before they become failures.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Summary

Of every 100 first tests, 79 passed first time and 7 more were fixed at the test station. The other 14 failed.

How 100 first tests ended

Passed first time

79in every 100

First-attempt pass 78.8% of 14,103 first tests (2025). Only cars that passed first time count.

Fixed at the station

7in every 100

Official-style pass 85.6%. Cars fixed at the station count as a pass.

Failed

14in every 100

Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

By fuel type

Hybrid

78in every 100 passed first time

9,331 first tests · typical mileage 74,855

79 in every 100 at the same mileage

Petrol

82in every 100 passed first time

3,327 first tests · typical mileage 52,516

78 in every 100 at the same mileage

Diesel

75in every 100 passed first time

1,431 first tests · typical mileage 77,868

76 in every 100 at the same mileage

Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other yearsPassed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

Show the figures as a table

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2007	58 in every 100	8,906
2008	59 in every 100	9,819
2009	62 in every 100	9,720
2010	63 in every 100	8,943
2011	63 in every 100	8,904
2012	66 in every 100	8,069
2013	75 in every 100	13,056
2014	76 in every 100	15,606
2015	77 in every 100	15,711
2016 This car	79 in every 100	14,103
2017	80 in every 100	12,550
2018	80 in every 100	11,953
2019	79 in every 100	1,013

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2016 Auris.

Of 2016 Auris with under 42,000 miles, 88 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 123,000 miles or more, 73 in every 100 did.

Under 42,0002,775 tests

42,000–59,0002,814 tests

59,000–79,000 Typical car2,905 tests

79,000–123,0002,787 tests

123,000 and over2,818 tests

Which fuel?

	Typical mileage	Passed first time, as tested	Passed first time, same mileage
Hybrid	74,855 miles	78	79
Petrol	52,516 miles	82	78

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because hybrid cars have done more miles (typically 74,855 against 52,516). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

	Under 42,000	59,000–79,000	123,000 and over
Brake light (rear)	1.3	2.7	2.8
Tyre condition (rear)	1.5	1.6	1.4
Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test)	0.4	1.6	2.2
Headlight aim	0.9	1.2	1.8
Headlight (front)	0.1	1.5	2.2

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

40in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

32in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

5in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2016 Toyota Auris reliable?

Brake light (rear) was the most common reason a 2016 Auris failed its MOT: about 12 in every 100 of its failed first attempts. In 2025, 78.8% of 14,103 first MOTs on the 2016 Toyota Auris passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 85.6%. Among 2,987 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Brake light (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (11.5% of those tests; 344 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What is most likely to fail on a 2016 Toyota Auris?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that failed 2016 Toyota Auriss most often at the first attempt were Brake light (rear) (11.5%), Tyre condition (rear) (7.6%) and Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) (6.4%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Toyota Auris 2016?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Brake light (rear) (11.5% of those tests; 344 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Brake light (rear) stand out?

Brake light (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (11.5% of those tests; 344 observed failures; about 4.0× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2016 Toyota Auris?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2016 Toyota Auris include Brake light (rear), Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front), Handbrake performance (roller test, rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.

What does this Toyota Auris 2016 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2016 Toyota Auris (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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