Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Toyota Avensis 2011: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 65 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2011 Toyota Avensis were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2011 Toyota Avensis follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 3,942 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
65 in every 100
Did not pass first time
35 in every 1001,384 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
14 yearsabout 115,780 miles
First tests counted
3,942

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)22 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Headlight aim8 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)7 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. 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.

Note:

These are patterns across 2011 Toyota Avensis vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake discs (rear), 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,384 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

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 list.

Brake discs (rear)

Failed on 45 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A brake disc or drum must be significantly worn before it is rejected, and being worn below the manufacturer's recommended limits is not a reason in itself. Significantly and obviously worn is Major, as is contamination with oil or grease. A disc or drum that is fractured, insecure, seriously weakened or missing is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

Two faults. The strongest is the individual direction indicators (rear): 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Individual direction indicators (rear)

Failed on 70 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Direction indicators must be amber, though vehicles first used before a set date may have white at the front and red at the rear when the indicators are combined with stop or position lamps, and sequential or dynamic ones are not a reason to fail. A lamp that is missing, inoperative or has more than half of a multiple light source not functioning is graded Major. A flashing rate outside the permitted range is graded Minor.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 71 first tests, 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Side repeater indicators

Failed on 50 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Sequential or dynamic direction indicators are not a reason to fail. Where a side repeater is required, it is allowed to be part of the front direction indicator if it has a marked wraparound lens, or an amber light coming through the front lens when viewed from a set distance to the side of the rear bumper. A lens defect with no effect on the emitted light is Minor, and one that adversely affects the light is Major.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Suspension

One fault: anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front), 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front)

Failed on 46 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover is Major, and so is one that no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A cover that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. DVSA uses one wording for the dust cover on any suspension joint.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Headlight (front)

Noted on 55 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm (front)

Noted on 54 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (front)

Noted on 86 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Chassis condition (rear)

Noted on 21 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Noted on 35 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 74 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

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

Passed first time
65in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
8in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
27in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 64.9% of 3,942 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 73.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 8 fixed and the 27 not fixed make the 35 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol2,001102,417 miles6765
Diesel1,898131,668 miles6365

Figures are in every 100 first tests. 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 years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

4060801002000200520112015Older carsNewer cars
40608010020002011Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 68 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200060 in every 100338
200159 in every 100467
200260 in every 100661
200355 in every 1001,505
200458 in every 1002,014
200557 in every 1002,786
200657 in every 1003,614
200758 in every 1004,056
200857 in every 1004,274
200962 in every 1004,514
201064 in every 1004,842
2011 This car65 in every 1003,942
201269 in every 1004,291
201370 in every 1002,810
201473 in every 1002,681
201576 in every 1002,819
201680 in every 1003,203
201781 in every 1002,212
201881 in every 1001,022

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2011 Avensis.

Of 2011 Avensis vehicles with under 82,000 miles, 76 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 161,000 miles or more, 58 in every 100 did.

Under 82,000782 tests
76
82,000–105,000778 tests
69
105,000–128,000 Typical car812 tests
62
128,000–161,000771 tests
60
161,000 and over797 tests
58

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol102,417 miles6765
Diesel131,668 miles6365

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 131,668 against 102,417). 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 82,000105,000–128,000161,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)5.29.97.9
Headlight aim1.34.42.6
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)1.22.82.9
Coil spring (rear)1.32.54.8
Number plate lights1.02.72.9

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

When a car fails

28in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

48in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in 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.

The 2011 Toyota Avensis follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 22 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 64.9% of 3,942 first MOTs on the 2011 Toyota Avensis passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 73.5%. Among 1,384 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Individual direction indicators (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (5.1% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 2.4× 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.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2011 Toyota Avensis at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (22.4%), Headlight aim (8.2%) and Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front) (7.2%), 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Individual direction indicators (rear) (5.1% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 2.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Individual direction indicators (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (5.1% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 2.4× 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.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2011 Toyota Avensis include Individual direction indicators (rear), Side repeater indicators, Anti-roll bar ball joint dust cover (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
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.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2011 Toyota Avensis (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.
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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