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All models / All cars / Saloons & estates / Toyota Avensis

Toyota Avensis

All generations and engines together · 31,843 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 95k

Reliability verdict
CBy age
CBy miles

Graded against its peers

Middling among saloons and estates, by age and by mileage. Watch suspension and lights & electrics. A fair used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating suspension advisories.

First-time failure at age 7
18.1%
Across 1,901 tests. The average for saloons and estates is 17.4%.
First-time failure at 50-60k miles
17.0%
Across 1,535 tests. The average for saloons and estates is 16.8%.
Rank in its class
21 of 34
1 = lowest failure rate among the 34 saloons and estates we can rank.
Typical mileage at age 7
95k miles
How far the average car has gone by seven years old. Low-mileage models can look better by age than they are.

Generation

Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.

What owners report

Reported

Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.

Petrol engines burning oil (VVT-i bore wear)

Confirmed pattern

Early 1.8 and 2.0 VVT-i petrol Avensis, built before July 2005, can burn oil at an alarming rate, sometimes a litre every 600 miles, because of a bore liner defect. It usually shows up from around 40,000 miles as a smoky exhaust and a dipstick reading low between services. Toyota extended the warranty on affected engines to 6 years/100,000 miles by February 2009. Left unchecked it can mean engine work running into four figures.

From ~40k miles, pre-July 2005 build · sources: Honest John

2.2 diesel DPF regeneration overfuelling

Confirmed pattern

On the 2.2 D-4D, failed or incomplete DPF regeneration cycles can overfuel the engine, washing oil off the cylinder bores and damaging piston rings. It shows up as rising oil consumption or a smoky idle rather than an MOT emissions fail, and it isn't limited to one generation, both the 2003-2009 and 2009-2015 2.2 diesels are affected. Toyota extended the warranty on the affected engines to 5 years to cover it. Repair cost ranges from an oil flush to a full rebuild depending on how long it ran overfuelled.

2.2 D-4D, both generations · sources: Honest John

Front-end knocks: steering rack and suspension bushes

Partly in the MOT data

A recurring owner complaint across generations: clonks and rattles from the steering rack, front suspension bushes and wheel bearings, sometimes appearing well inside 100,000 miles, including a reported front bearing replacement at 79,500 miles and a steering rack rattle at 104,000. This is the folklore version of what shows up in the measured data as this model's most common MOT fault category, suspension. It rarely causes a problem early on, but it's the same components wearing out that eventually fail the test.

From ~80k miles · sources: Honest John; ties to the measured MOT signature fault for this segment

BMW-sourced 1.6/2.0 D-4D niggles

EmergingDiesel only (2015-2019 models)

The final Avensis, sold 2015-2019, used BMW-designed 1.6 and 2.0 D-4D diesel engines instead of Toyota's own units. Owners have reported an EGR fault causing loss of power and a no-start as early as 6,000 miles on a 1.6, and oil consumption of around a litre every 1,000 miles on the 2.0. Doesn't affect the 1.8 petrol sold alongside it in the same generation.

Reported from very low mileage on some cars · sources: Honest John

Turbo and swirl flap failure on early 2.0 D-4D

Emerging

Owners of 2003-2009 2.0 D-4D belt-cam diesels report turbo failures between 80,000 and 100,000 miles, with some blaming swirl flap separation in the inlet manifold. At least one failure was reported on a car only 9 months old, so it isn't purely a high-mileage problem. No manufacturer acknowledgement found, so treat it as a pattern to budget for rather than a confirmed design fault.

80-100k miles, some earlier · sources: Honest John

Electric parking brake repeat failures

Disputed

A handful of 2009-2010 Avensis estates with the electromechanical parking brake have needed the system replaced more than once, at roughly £1,500 a time. It isn't clear from the reports whether this is a genuine weak point across the range or a small number of unlucky cars getting the same fault repeatedly, so owners are split on how worried to be.

2009-2015 estate · sources: Honest John

What to check on this car

Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.

Saveable checklist

From this model’s MOT record

The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.

Bushes and ball jointsRuns high on this model Drive slowly over broken tarmac with the windows down and listen for clonks from either end. Back at the car, have someone rock the steering wheel while you rest a hand on each front wheel; play you can feel through the tyre is a worn joint.Recorded on 11.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 5.9%
LeaksRuns high on this model Look at the ground where the car usually stands, then glance under the engine after your test drive. Fresh drips of oil or coolant are the cheapest warning you will ever get about a car.Recorded on 4.5% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.0%
Lights and horn walkroundRuns high on this model With a helper, run every light: dipped, main beam, indicators, brake lights including the high-level one, reverse, fog, and the horn. On newer cars a dead LED section can mean replacing the whole lamp unit rather than a bulb.Recorded on 3.7% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.2%
Underneath, with a torchRuns high on this model Get down and look at the sills, the subframes and the rear suspension mounting points. Flaking scale and bubbling matter; light surface rust does not. On older cars this is the one check that finds the fault that scraps them.Recorded on 2.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.7%
Rubber boots and gaitersRuns high on this model On full steering lock, look in behind each front wheel at the concertina rubber boots on the driveshafts and steering rack. Splits, or grease flung around the arch, mean dirt is getting into a joint that costs far more than the boot protecting it.Recorded on 1.8% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 0.6%
Dampers Look for oil misting on the damper body behind each wheel, then push down hard on each corner of the car. It should settle in one bounce. A floaty or crashy ride on the test drive is the same fault felt from the driver's seat.Recorded on 1.3% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 2.3%

Worth doing on any used car

These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.

Tyres, all four Check the tread across the full width of each tyre, inner edge included, and look for cracking and mismatched brands. A set of decent tyres is £500 or more on most cars, which makes this the easiest money to take off a price. If the pressure warning light is on, budget for sensors too.Recorded on 23.9% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 20.1%
Pads and discs Look through the wheel spokes at the brake disc. A pronounced lip on its outer edge, or a rusty and scored face, means discs and pads are due all round, a few hundred pounds on most cars. A haggling point rather than a reason to walk away.Recorded on 12.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 8.7%
Windscreen and wipers Scan the glass in daylight for chips, especially in the driver's line of sight where even a small one can fail the MOT. Run the washers and check the wipers clear without smearing.Recorded on 2.1% of tests at age 6-9 · class average 1.7%

Because of what owners report

Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.

Pull the dipstick and ask when the oil was last topped up between services. If nobody can say, a pre-2005 VVT-i petrol may be burning oil quietly and could be running low.
Ask if the DPF light has ever come on and how the warning was cleared. A history of DPF warnings on a 2.2 diesel points at the overfuelling and bore-damage risk Toyota extended the warranty for.
Turn the steering wheel lock to lock at a standstill and listen for knocks. Clunks or rattles point to a worn steering rack or front suspension bushes, this model's most common MOT fault.
On a 2015-2019 1.6 or 2.0 D-4D, check the service book for EGR-related work. Owners have reported EGR failures as early as 6,000 miles on these BMW-sourced diesel engines.
On a 2003-2009 2.0 D-4D, listen for turbo whistle and watch for smoke under hard acceleration. Could be an early sign of turbo or swirl-flap failure, reported from as little as 80,000 miles.
On a 2009-2015 estate, operate the electronic parking brake a few times. Hesitation or a fault light has meant a roughly £1,500 replacement on some cars.
Check the MOT history for the same advisory repeated year after year. The same note showing up three years running means nobody is fixing it, just re-noting it.

Open the saveable checklist, tick it off at the car

The MOT data

Measured

Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.

How this model wears

Toyota AvensisClass average, all tracked models

What testers flag

Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.

Faults with the car itself

The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 8,808 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
11.5%class 5.9%
A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded
Advisory
5.3%class 1.4%
Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users
Advisory
4.5%class 2.0%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
3.2%class 1.6%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
1.9%class 0.8%
Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated
Minor
1.7%class 0.7%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
Advisory
1.3%class 2.3%

Wear, upkeep and luck

Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
27.2%class 22.9%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
12.1%class 8.7%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
11.5%class 10.1%
A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
9.3%class 12.7%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
6.7%class 3.4%
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
Minor
3.7%class 1.2%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Fail
2.7%class 1.6%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Fail
2.4%class 2.3%

Others in its class

Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.

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