Fault File
All models / All cars / Small SUVs / Toyota C-HR

Toyota C-HR

All generations and engines together · 89,491 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 62k

First-time failure at age 7
17.5%
Across 15,288 tests. The average across all tracked models is 19.5%.
Rank at age 7
105 of 239
1 = lowest failure rate among the models tracked.
Typical mileage at age 7
62k miles
Check the mileage view below; 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.

How this model wears

Toyota C-HRClass average, all tracked models

Known issues

Measured

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

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. 40,549 tests in this band.

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Advisory
6.5%class 5.9%
A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED
Fail
5.7%class 1.0%
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
Minor
1.9%class 1.6%
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
Fail
0.7%class 1.4%
A reversing lamp inoperative
Fail
0.6%class 0.1%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
Fail
0.6%class 0.9%

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.

A tyre seriously damaged
Advisory
22.1%class 12.7%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
Advisory
21.8%class 22.9%
Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured
Advisory
11.5%class 10.1%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
Advisory
10.0%class 8.7%
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
Fail
4.8%class 1.7%
Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn
Advisory
3.0%class 3.4%
Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt
Advisory
2.5%class 2.2%
Nail in tyre
Advisory
2.2%class 1.6%

Unconfirmed issues

Reported

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

Windscreens that crack on their own

Confirmed pattern

On early Mk1 cars (2016-2018ish), the windscreen's built-in DAB aerial has been linked to spontaneous overnight cracking with no impact or stone chip involved. Toyota acknowledged it as a manufacturing problem after a run of owner reports, and getting a replacement fitted under warranty could take up to four weeks; paid for privately it runs close to £900.

Reported on early 2016-2018 cars · replacement roughly £900 · sources: Honest John (Ask HJ)

CVT drone under hard acceleration

Disputed

Like most Toyota hybrids, the C-HR's CVT lets the petrol engine flare to high revs and hold there under acceleration, producing a droning noise. Owners are split: some log it as a fault worth complaining about, others say it's simply how this transmission works and there's nothing to fix. It's present from new, not something that develops with age or mileage.

Present from new on hybrid/CVT cars · sources: Honest John, What Car

Weak 12V battery and electrical gremlins

Partly in the MOT data

The small 12-volt battery that runs the lights, locks and infotainment while the hybrid system is dormant can lose condition early, in one reported case at just 9,000 miles, usually put down to short journeys that don't give the hybrid system enough runtime to keep it topped up. Symptoms are dim or flickering lights, dash warning lights, and a car that won't start even though the main hybrid battery is fine. This tracks with the measured data too: lights & electrics is the fault that shows up most often in this model's MOT record, and a tired 12V battery is exactly the kind of fault that produces failed bulbs and electrical warnings without anything mechanical actually breaking.

Reported from under 10k miles · sources: Honest John (Ask HJ), measured MOT signature fault for this segment

Condensation inside the touchscreen

Emerging

Some owners have found moisture building up inside the central infotainment screen, blurring the display, even on cars kept garaged. Toyota has replaced affected screens under warranty, but it isn't officially recognised as a design fault, and there are reports of it coming back after replacement. Out of warranty a new screen is roughly £900.

Reported intermittently, no clear mileage pattern · sources: Honest John (Ask HJ)

Over-sensitive safety systems and false warnings

Disputed

Toyota Safety Sense's pre-collision warning and city braking have been reported to trigger or misbehave for no obvious reason, and reviewers separately note the general run of warning chimes on this car can feel intrusive. Some owners treat sudden false alerts as a genuine electronic fault worth getting checked, others just find the systems over-cautious by design. Worth working out which camp you're in before you buy.

No clear mileage pattern · sources: Honest John (Ask HJ), Auto Express review

Viewing one? Ask this

Built from the two sections above.

Check the windscreen edges and the area around the DAB aerial for hairline cracks, especially on 2016-2018 cars. A crack with no obvious stone chip may be the known manufacturing fault rather than accident damage.
Rev the engine hard from a stop and listen to the CVT. Sustained droning is normal for this hybrid gearbox, not a transmission fault, but make sure you can live with it before you buy.
Check the 12V battery's date sticker under the bonnet and ask how the car is normally used. An early replacement battery or a car used mainly for short hops points toward the electrical gremlins some owners report.
Look closely at the touchscreen in bright light. Any fogging, blur or visible moisture behind the glass means the condensation fault is developing.
Turn the ignition on and check every warning light, then cycle all exterior lights including indicators and the number plate lamp. Lights & electrics is this model's most common MOT failure, so faults here are the ones most likely to bite at test time.
Drive slowly near a parked car or hedge and watch for the pre-collision system firing unprompted. Random false alerts point to the safety-sensor glitch some owners have reported.
Ask for full service history and confirm the annual dealer services haven't lapsed. Missing a service year drops Toyota's free extended warranty on the powertrain and hybrid battery, which matters if the CVT or hybrid system ever needs work.

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