Toyota Prius years to avoid — 460,529 MOT tests ranked

No clear negative outlier after correcting for age. Strongest in the data: 2013 or 2014. The ranking uses 460,529 MOT tests across 19 registration years (2023–2025) and compares each year with all UK cars of the same age.

Every Prius year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

RankYearIndexVs same-agePass rateTests
1 2014 Strong 112.6 +12.6 pts 88.5% 35,123
2 2013 Strong 112.5 +12.5 pts 85.8% 25,656
3 2012 112.0 +12.0 pts 83.2% 22,936
4 2010 111.6 +11.6 pts 78.9% 27,977
5 2011 111.0 +11.0 pts 80.1% 20,837
6 2008 110.9 +10.9 pts 76.0% 19,332
7 2015 110.8 +10.8 pts 89.5% 39,293
8 2005 110.2 +10.2 pts 74.8% 6,893
9 2009 110.1 +10.1 pts 76.5% 20,095
10 2016 109.4 +9.4 pts 90.7% 43,458
11 2007 109.4 +9.4 pts 74.5% 19,136
12 2004 109.3 +9.3 pts 73.6% 2,541
13 2017 108.4 +8.4 pts 92.4% 44,486
14 2006 108.2 +8.2 pts 72.7% 10,215
15 2018 106.8 +6.8 pts 93.0% 42,184
16 2019 104.8 +4.8 pts 93.2% 47,163
17 2021 103.9 +3.9 pts 94.3% 5,427
18 2022 103.5 +3.5 pts 94.8% 1,681
19 2020 101.9 +1.9 pts 91.7% 26,096

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished older example beats a neglected 2013 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
  • Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
  • Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which Prius years should I avoid?

No year is a clear negative outlier after correcting for age, so buy on condition and history rather than year.

What is the best Prius year to buy used?

2013 and 2014 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the Prius reliable overall?

Across 460,529 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 109.4 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 tests per page. “Inspect” years are below both the same-age baseline and the model’s median index by at least 2 points. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. DVSA anonymised data 2023–2025, OGL v3.0.