All generations and engines together · 26,159 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 66k
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
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.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 8,367 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
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.
On the 2.2 D-4D diesel, poor or infrequent DPF regeneration lets unburnt fuel wash down the cylinder bores, scoring piston rings and pushing up oil use. Toyota extended the warranty on this engine to five years to cover it, and owners still report DPF-related engine damage turning up once that cover has run out. Watch for smoke on start-up, thin oil above the dipstick mark, or a DPF light that won't clear itself on a run.
Toyota recalled diesel Versos built 2015-2017 because the EGR cooler can develop an internal coolant leak, which in the worst case is a fire risk. Separately, owners of short-run diesels report the EGR valve itself clogging with soot, causing rough idling and a flat spot in the delivery. Ask about unexplained coolant top-ups and check the recall was actually carried out against the VIN.
The 1.6 D-4D fitted to the facelifted Verso from 2013 is a BMW-sourced diesel, and owner reports describe timing chain wear turning into a rattle, then a full jump, from roughly 90-95k miles onward. One owner was quoted over £9,000 by a dealer for a replacement engine after the chain let go around five years/70k miles. There's no recall for it, so it comes down to how well the chain and its tensioner were looked after by the previous owner.
Toyota recalled 2014-2017 Versos over fuel injectors that had been refitted with the wrong tightening torque, which can work loose and leak. Separately, older D-4D diesels have needed full sets of injectors replacing out of warranty; one owner's bill for four new injectors came to over £1,500 at 74,000 miles. An intermittent engine or VSC light on a diesel is worth an injector check before you commit to buying.
Toyota recalled diesel Versos built between 2010 and 2013 over oil accumulating in the turbocharger, which in rare cases created a fire risk. It only applies to that build window, so check the VIN against Toyota's UK recall checker before buying one of these years, especially if the car has changed hands privately and a dealer may not have flagged it.
The measured MOT data shows Versos failing on brakes more than the class average, and there's at least one well-documented mechanical reason behind that beyond simple pad and disc wear: a brake actuator assembly, the ABS/traction control pump unit, failed on an early car within a month of purchase, at around £900 for the part alone and £1,300 fitted, then failed again after a warranty replacement. It's one clearly documented case rather than a flood of them, but it shows the brake system itself, not just consumables, can be the cause of a fail.
Built from the two sections above.
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