Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Toyota Previa 2003: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 51 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2003 Toyota Previa were passes.

Summary

With 509 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Toyota Previa differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 509 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
51 in every 100
Did not pass first time
49 in every 100249 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
22 yearsabout 140,884 miles
First tests counted
509

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 2003 Toyota Previa 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.

Body and structure

One fault: chassis condition (rear), 4.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 244 of 249 failed first attempts (98.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 2.0% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

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.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 25 first tests4.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A main load-bearing structural member that is fractured, deformed, modified or inadequately repaired is Major when structural rigidity is significantly reduced, and Dangerous where steering or braking is likely to be adversely affected. Corrosion of the body, cab or chassis at a mounting point is Dangerous where overall security or stability is impaired.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 20 first tests, 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

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

Brakes

One wear pattern: brake pads (front), 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake pads (front)

Failed on 20 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

What it means

A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.

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

Lamps and electrical

One fault: headlight, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.

Headlight

Failed on 37 first tests2.5 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.

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

Noise, emissions and leaks

Two faults. The strongest is the petrol emissions (with catalyst): 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol emissions (with catalyst)

Failed on 34 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Emissions levels over the manufacturer's specified limits are Major, as are levels over default limits, which apply when no exact match is found for the vehicle. Dense blue or clearly visible black smoke at idle, held for a set period, is Major, except for certain older vehicles and two stroke engines where smoke is unavoidable. An induction or exhaust leak that could affect emissions levels is Major too.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 29 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

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.

Swivel pins and bushes (rear)

Noted on 22 first tests8.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Coil spring (rear)

Noted on 81 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Headlight (front)

Noted on 24 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Noted on 61 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pads (rear)

Noted on 23 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsWear pattern

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 30 first tests2.3 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
51in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
11in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 51.1% of 509 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.7%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 11 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 49 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

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

406080100200120022003200420052006Older carsNewer cars
406080100200120022003200420052006Older 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, 52 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200153 in every 100337
200255 in every 100360
2003 This car51 in every 100509
200453 in every 100620
200556 in every 100548
200654 in every 100431

FAQs

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

With 509 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2003 Toyota Previa differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 51.1% of 509 first MOTs on the 2003 Toyota Previa passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.7%. Among 249 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Chassis condition (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (10.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 4.3× 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.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Chassis condition (rear) (10.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 4.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Chassis condition (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (10.2% of those tests; 25 observed failures; about 4.3× 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 2003 Toyota Previa include Chassis condition (rear), Headlight, Petrol emissions (with catalyst). 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 2003 Toyota Previa (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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