Model Reports 5 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Toyota RAV4 2007: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 59 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2007 Toyota RAV4 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Individual sidelight or tail light (front).

Summary

The 2007 Toyota RAV4 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 2,836 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
59 in every 100
Did not pass first time
41 in every 1001,167 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
18 yearsabout 117,215 miles
First tests counted
2,836

What failed most often

  1. Individual sidelight or tail light (front)16 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Suspension mounting area (rear)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Coil spring (rear)8 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 2007 Toyota RAV4 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Four faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar linkage (rear): 14 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 1,167 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.

Anti-roll bar linkage (rear)

Failed on 34 first tests14 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar linkage is graded Dangerous when a suspension component is missing, likely to become detached, fractured or likely to fail. Insecure attachment that impairs directional stability is graded Dangerous too. Excessive damage or corrosion that seriously weakens the part is Major, and so is plain insecure attachment to the chassis or axle.

Suspension mounting area (rear)

Failed on 137 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The load bearing structure within a set distance of a sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting is a prescribed area. Major applies when its strength or continuity is significantly reduced or it is inadequately repaired. Dangerous applies when it is so weakened that control of the vehicle is likely to be adversely affected.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 99 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 206 first tests, 2.1 times as often as on similar cars.

Shock absorbers (front)

Failed on 65 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

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

Body and structure

Three faults. The strongest is the vehicle structure condition: 4.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Vehicle structure condition

Failed on 24 first tests4.2 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Structure that is fractured, deformed, corroded, modified or inadequately repaired is failed on rigidity only if the overall structural rigidity of the vehicle is significantly reduced. Structure that is likely to affect steering or braking adversely is graded Dangerous. Prescribed areas are not covered here, as they are checked under other sections, including brakes and steering.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 29 first tests, 2.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Chassis condition (rear)

Failed on 32 first tests2.4 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.

Exhaust system

Failed on 77 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Exhaust fumes causing a danger to health of persons on board are graded Dangerous, and so is a silencer likely to become detached. Fumes entering the cabin are Major. One or more missing or defective mountings does not necessarily make the exhaust insecure, since testers assess the overall security of the system.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 104 first tests, 2.0 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.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008), 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Diesel emissions test (pre-reg turbo rules before 01/07/2008)

Failed on 67 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

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

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: seat belt condition (rear), 3.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Seat belt condition (rear)

Failed on 35 first tests3.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Any sign of overstretching is a deficiency, and so is a cut anywhere on a child seat belt. On other belts the size of a cut decides it, with a stricter limit at the webbing edge than away from it. Webbing significantly stretched or weakened has rows in both Major and Dangerous grades.

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

Brakes

One fault: handbrake lever, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Handbrake lever

Failed on 25 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A parking brake lever pivot or ratchet mechanism that is obviously worn is graded Minor. It is Major when worn to the extent that the brake may inadvertently release, and also when the ratchet is not holding correctly. A lever must have obvious excessive travel before being rejected.

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.

Suspension arm (rear)

Noted on 76 first tests2.3 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame (rear)

Noted on 182 first tests2.2 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Chassis condition

Noted on 26 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Suspension sub-frame mounting area (rear)

Noted on 23 first tests2.0 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
59in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
6in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
35in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 58.9% of 2,836 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 65.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 6 fixed and the 35 not fixed make the 41 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol1,560104,396 miles6159
Diesel1,274133,259 miles5658

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.

40608010020002007201020152020Older carsNewer cars
4060801002000200720102020Older 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, 60 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199856 in every 100459
199963 in every 100373
200060 in every 100389
200162 in every 100808
200260 in every 1001,544
200361 in every 1002,179
200461 in every 1002,857
200563 in every 1002,942
200657 in every 1001,936
2007 This car59 in every 1002,836
200859 in every 1002,869
200961 in every 1001,429
201069 in every 100427
201168 in every 100458
201271 in every 1001,489
201376 in every 1004,288
201479 in every 1004,492
201581 in every 1005,189
201682 in every 1007,354
201782 in every 1007,501
201883 in every 1007,041
201991 in every 1008,590
202091 in every 10011,168
202191 in every 10011,743
202294 in every 1009,602

If you are buying one

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

Mileage matters most on a 2007 Toyota RAV4.

Of 2007 Toyota RAV4 vehicles with under 86,000 miles, 69 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 148,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.

Under 86,000560 tests
69
86,000–108,000582 tests
63
108,000–126,000 Typical car554 tests
57
126,000–148,000584 tests
55
148,000 and over556 tests
49

Petrol or diesel?

Typical mileagePassed first time,
as tested		Passed first time,
same mileage
Petrol104,396 miles6159
Diesel133,259 miles5658

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 133,259 against 104,396). 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 86,000108,000–126,000148,000 and over
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)2.57.911.9
Suspension mounting area (rear)2.34.59.0
Coil spring (rear)2.94.23.6
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joint dust cover (front)2.33.83.8
Exhaust system2.02.33.4

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

When a car fails

24in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

48in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

9in 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 2007 Toyota RAV4 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Individual sidelight or tail light (front), about 16 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 58.9% of 2,836 first MOTs on the 2007 Toyota RAV4 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 65.4%. Among 1,167 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 34 observed failures; about 14× 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 2007 Toyota RAV4 at the first attempt were Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (16.4%), Suspension mounting area (rear) (11.7%) and Coil spring (rear) (8.5%), 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: Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) (2.9% of those tests; 34 observed failures; about 14× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Anti-roll bar linkage (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.9% of those tests; 34 observed failures; about 14× 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 2007 Toyota RAV4 include Anti-roll bar linkage (rear), Vehicle structure condition, Seat belt condition (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.
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 2007 Toyota RAV4 (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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