Used car guide

2012 Toyota IQ: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2012 Toyota IQs, from 2,318 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

2,318MOT tests in 2025
76%pass first time (all 2012 cars: 63%)
4,700typical miles a year
2.7×the usual rate for flexible brake hoses

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2012 Toyota IQs than on all cars registered in 2012.

  • Flexible brake hoses2.7× usual
    Toyota IQ
    4.1% All 2012 cars
    1.5%

    Failed outright at MOT: 0.2%, against 0.2% of all 2012 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £50–£200 our estimate

    At the viewing: Look for cracked or bulging rubber hoses behind the wheels and in the engine bay.

Better than most

Suspension arm bushes and joints: 3.8% here, against 10.1% of all 2012 cars. Shock absorbers: 3% here, against 6.5% of all 2012 cars.

By area

The share of 2012 Toyota IQ MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Brakes
    28% 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.

  • Tyres
    25% 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.

  • Suspension
    19% 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.

  • Lights and electrics
    19% of testsRough price £10–£80

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

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    10% of testsRough price £15–£250

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

  • Exhaust and emissions
    9% of testsRough price £100–£1,200

    At the viewing: Look for black soot in the tailpipe, listen for blowing from the exhaust and check for engine or DPF warning lights.

Looking at a Toyota IQ?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2014838Brakes 25%
20131,281Brakes 26%
20112,472Brakes 30%
20103,665Brakes 32%
20096,027Brakes 33%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2012 Toyota IQs registered in 2012. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score