Toyota Yaris years to avoid: 2001, 2003, 2004

Last updated · OBDCode UK editorial

Inspect most carefully: 2001, 2003, 2004. Strongest in the data: 2011 or 2015. The ranking uses 1.2 million MOT test records across 20 qualifying registration-year cohorts in the 2023–2025 DVSA test extracts and compares each cohort with all UK cars of the same age. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Same-vehicle follow-up for common certificate lines on this model is further down: how often the same item failed the next year, and how often the car was not tested again.

Every Yaris 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 2011 Strong 108.7 +8.7 pts 77.8% 47,928
2 2015 Strong 107.9 +7.9 pts 86.6% 91,148
3 2009 107.5 +7.5 pts 73.8% 72,883
4 2012 107.1 +7.1 pts 78.3% 81,403
5 2016 106.8 +6.8 pts 88.1% 84,331
6 2010 105.8 +5.8 pts 73.2% 55,277
7 2013 105.6 +5.6 pts 78.9% 85,728
8 2014 105.3 +5.3 pts 81.1% 85,982
9 2019 103.8 +3.8 pts 92.2% 82,744
10 2020 103.7 +3.7 pts 93.6% 44,299
11 2017 103.6 +3.6 pts 87.6% 79,616
12 2018 103.4 +3.4 pts 89.8% 82,627
13 2008 103.3 +3.3 pts 68.4% 66,482
14 2007 103.0 +3.0 pts 68.1% 62,042
15 2006 102.6 +2.6 pts 67.1% 50,941
16 2005 101.5 +1.5 pts 66.0% 49,062
17 2002 101.3 +1.3 pts 67.0% 26,807
18 2004 Inspect 100.0 -0.0 pts 64.3% 40,212
19 2003 Inspect 100.0 +0.0 pts 65.1% 34,295
20 2001 Inspect 98.8 -1.2 pts 65.4% 21,019

Why 2001 and 2003 and 2004 rank lower

The 2004 cohort passes 64.3% of tests (-0.0 points versus same-age cars) at a median 90,475 miles, with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment the leading failure system. The 2003 cohort passes 65.1% of tests (+0.0 points versus same-age cars) at a median 91,650 miles, with lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment the leading failure system. The 2001 cohort passes 65.4% of tests (-1.2 points versus same-age cars) at a median 92,997 miles, with suspension the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

What happened next on this model

Year rankings are age-adjusted pass rates. The figures below are a same-vehicle follow-up for certificate lines that appear often enough on this model (at least 200 cars). They are not a repair quote and they do not isolate a turbo, DSG, or clutch part.

National rankings for the not-retested gap: cars not tested again. Repair-hold rates: repairs that did not hold.

How to use this before buying

  • Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2001 example beats a neglected 2011 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 Yaris years should I avoid?

Based on 1.2 million MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2001, 2003, 2004 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best Yaris year to buy used?

2011 and 2015 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 Yaris reliable overall?

Across 1.2 million tests, the median age-adjusted index is 103.7 (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.

What data is required before a years-to-avoid guide is published?

We publish a guide only when a model has at least five registration-year cohorts old enough for a routine first MOT, each based on at least 1,500 Class 4 initial MOT tests pooled across the stated DVSA extract years, and at least 60,000 tests across those cohorts. From the models that pass those gates, this release includes the 220 models with the largest pooled samples. Retests are excluded.

How are the Strong and Inspect labels assigned?

Strong considers only the two highest-ranked registration-year cohorts and labels either one that is within 1.5 index points of the best. Inspect considers only the three lowest-ranked cohorts and labels a year only when its index is no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are MOT test records, not unique vehicles.

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. Pass rate uses DVSA result codes (P + PRS) ÷ (P + PRS + F): passes and passes after rectification at the test divided by those outcomes plus failures. Class 4 initial-test records only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 records per registration-year cohort. “Strong” considers the top two cohorts within 1.5 index points of the best. “Inspect” considers only the bottom three cohorts, then requires an index no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.