Used car guide

2021 Toyota C-HR: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2021 Toyota C-HRs, from 17,646 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

17,646MOT tests in 2025
88%pass first time (all 2021 cars: 87%)
7,700typical miles a year
25×the usual rate for reversing lights

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2021 Toyota C-HRs than on all cars registered in 2021.

  • Reversing lights25× usual
    Toyota C-HR
    2.5% All 2021 cars
    0.1%

    Failed outright at MOT: 2.5%, against 0.1% of all 2021 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

  • Wipers1.7× usual
    Toyota C-HR
    6.3% All 2021 cars
    3.8%

    Failed outright at MOT: 4.3%, against 2.4% of all 2021 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £15–£60 our estimate

    At the viewing: Test the wipers and washers on every speed.

Better than most

Brake pads: 2.1% here, against 6.8% of all 2021 cars.

By area

The share of 2021 Toyota C-HR MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    23% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    8% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Brakes
    6% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    5% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

  • Suspension
    1% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

Looking at a Toyota C-HR?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
20231,340Tyres 12%
202217,552Tyres 19%
202016,294Tyres 27%
201917,648Tyres 29%
201818,511Tyres 29%
201714,018Tyres 27%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2021 Toyota C-HRs registered in 2021. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score