2,974 cars · 5,225 MOT tests · 2024 and 2025
Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) MOT statistics
What every MOT test on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025 found: how often they fail, what testers flag, which faults owners leave, and how many never came back after failing.
Every 2.0-litre MR2 of the SW20 years, imported or sold new in the UK.
33%
failed their first MOT test
about the same as the UK average for their age
29.3 yrs
median age at the MOT
All cars: 9.7 years
54%
of tests had at least one advisory
All cars: 52%
26%
of tests mention corrosion
All cars: 12%
Failure rate by age
Share of initial tests that failed, by the car’s age at the test, against all UK cars of the same age.
- 20–24 years332 tests32%vs 42%
- 25–29 years2,528 tests33%vs 35%
- 30+ years2,365 tests34%vs 26%
Most common advisories on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000)
Things the tester noticed that weren’t bad enough to fail. Share of initial tests, against all UK cars.
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive17%vs 4.9%
- Condition: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing8.2%vs 8.8%
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge7.6%vs 16%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened7.1%vs 8.9%
- Coil spring: corroded6.8%vs 3.3%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases6.1%vs 2.0%
- Service brake performance (rbt): binding but not excessively4.9%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material4.2%vs 3.8%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive4.1%
- Brake pads (brake linings and pads): wearing thin3.7%vs 7.6%
Most common MOT failures on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000)
Share of initial tests that failed on each item, including faults fixed during the test.
- Rbt (sp) (parking brake efficiency (sp)): efficiency below requirements6.0%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits4.8%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits4.8%
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength4.2%
- Service brake performance (rbt): excessively binding2.9%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits2.9%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits2.8%
- Parking brake performance (rbt): inoperative on one side2.8%
- Steering rack (steering gear): gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt2.6%
- Position lamp: not working2.5%vs 2.5%
By part of the car
- Noise, emissions and leaks14%vs 3.1%
- Brakes14%vs 6.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12%vs 11%
- Suspension10%vs 8.8%
- Body, chassis, structure5.9%vs 3.4%
- Visibility4.8%vs 4.5%
- Tyres3.6%vs 6.3%
- Steering3.4%vs 2.0%
Advisories left unfixed
Of 1,935 advisories on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) that we could follow to the next annual MOT, 38% were flagged again and 2.7% had turned into a failure (all cars: 29% and 5.1%). The items most often still there:
- Engine oil leaks256 advisories66%
- Coil spring113 advisories65%
- Registration plates39 advisories54%
- Rigid brake pipes57 advisories51%
- Exhaust system118 advisories47%
- Component mounting prescribed areas63 advisories43%
- Chassis condition34 advisories41%
- Ball joint (suspension arms)28 advisories39%
Cars that disappeared from the MOT record
Of the 2,191 cars tested before October 2024, 22.6% had no MOT for over a year after their last one (imports overall: 10.4%; all cars: 7.2%). 48 of them (2.2%) had failed that last test. MOT records don’t say why: most of these cars were scrapped, but some were exported, laid up or declared off the road.
What they failed on last
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength40%
- Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits25%
- Service brake performance (rbt): excessively binding23%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits21%
- Integral vehicle structure condition: corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced19%
- Rbt (sp) (parking brake efficiency (sp)): efficiency below requirements17%
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively17%
- Catalyst emissions: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds default limits15%
Most popular colours
Share of cars, against all UK cars.
- Red30%vs 10%
- Blue21%vs 16%
- Black14%vs 19%
- White13%vs 19%
- Silver7.0%vs 14%
- Green6.2%vs 1.7%
Checking a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000)?
Our free check reads its full MOT history and flags mileage that doesn’t add up, advisories that keep coming back, and recalls filed in Japan.
Buying guide: Toyota MR2 SW20 (SW20)
Questions
- How often does a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) fail its MOT?
- 33% of first MOT tests on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) failed in 2024 and 2025, from 5,225 tests. That’s about the same as the UK average for cars of the same age.
- What is the most common MOT advisory on a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000)?
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive, on 17% of tests.
- What does a Toyota MR2 (1989 to 2000) most often fail its MOT on?
- Rbt (sp) (parking brake efficiency (sp)): efficiency below requirements, on 6.0% of tests.
More MOT statistics
How we worked these out
- Every car MOT in Great Britain in 2024 and 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT tests and results. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. The analysis and any errors are ours, not DVSA’s.
- MOT records give the make, model name and engine size, not the chassis code, so models are grouped by name. A model page says when that grouping is looser than its title.
- Failure rates count initial tests only, and include faults fixed during the test (DVSA’s definition). Advisories are counted once per test.
- Ages run from the first-use date on the MOT record. For many imports that’s the date the car was first registered in the UK, not in Japan, so imports can look younger than they are, and the age comparison flatters them less than it should.
- An advisory counts as unfixed if the same part of the car is flagged again, or fails, at the next annual MOT (300 to 500 days later).
- A car “disappeared” if it had no MOT between 31 October 2024 and 30 December 2025, over a year after its last test. It’s an estimate of cars scrapped or taken off the road: some were exported, laid up, or made exempt at 40 years old.
- The figures for all cars and all Japanese-brand cars come from a random one-in-20 sample of vehicles; the model figures use every car.