Does the Toyota Prius fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Toyota Prius records 0.32 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 0.83 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−0.51, 95% interval −0.53 to −0.50). It ranks 457 of 627 models on seat belts and airbags (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on seat belts and airbags · check a Toyota Prius by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Toyota Prius is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 830 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 830 | 0.10 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 522 | 0.06 |
| The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 336 | 0.04 |
| A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened | 274 | 0.03 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 207 | 0.02 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 842,178 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Toyota Prius gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
2.1% of Toyota Prius MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 7,939 miles later (3,003 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,003 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Toyota Prius 2001 · Toyota Prius 2002 · Toyota Prius 2003 · Toyota Prius 2004 · Toyota Prius 2005 · Toyota Prius 2006 · Toyota Prius 2007 · Toyota Prius 2008 · Toyota Prius 2009 · Toyota Prius 2010 · Toyota Prius 2011 · Toyota Prius 2012 · Toyota Prius 2013 · Toyota Prius 2014 · Toyota Prius 2015 · Toyota Prius 2016 · Toyota Prius 2017 · Toyota Prius 2018 · Toyota Prius 2019 · Toyota Prius 2020 · Toyota Prius in Finland · Toyota Prius by postcode area · Toyota Prius body, chassis and structure failures · Toyota Prius brakes failures · Toyota Prius vehicle identification failures · Toyota Prius lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Toyota Prius noise, emissions and leaks failures · Toyota Prius road wheels failures · Toyota Prius steering failures · Toyota Prius suspension failures · Toyota Prius tyres failures · Toyota Prius visibility failures