Does the Toyota Prius fail the MOT on suspension more than it should?
The Toyota Prius records 7.18 suspension failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 12.59 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−5.41, 95% interval −5.48 to −5.33). It ranks 497 of 701 models on suspension (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on suspension · check a Toyota Prius by registration
What exactly fails on suspension?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Toyota Prius is “A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated”, recorded 19,246 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated | 19,246 | 2.29 |
| A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 13,736 | 1.63 |
| A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 7,269 | 0.86 |
| A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 6,293 | 0.75 |
| A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 5,623 | 0.67 |
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 suspension advisory, how often does it fail next time?
14.5% of Toyota Prius MOTs with a suspension advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 11.9 months and 8,846 miles later (46,711 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 46,711 (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
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