Used car guide · 2016–2022

Toyota Prius Mk4: best and worst years, and what goes wrong

How every year of the Toyota Prius Mk4 did at its MOT in 2025 compared with other cars the same age, the weak spots that keep coming up, and what to check before you buy one. From 76,896 MOT tests.

2017best year: 87% pass first time, 9 points above all 2017 cars
2020weakest year: 89% pass first time, 3 points above all 2020 cars
Link ball joint coversthe weak spot that shows up in 2 different years

Year by year

First-time MOT pass rate for each year of the Toyota Prius Mk4, against all cars registered the same year. Older cars fail more, so the comparison with cars the same age is what matters.

60%80%100%2016: 84% pass first time (all 2016 cars: 75%) 84% 2016*2017: 87% pass first time (all 2017 cars: 78%) 87% 20172018: 88% pass first time (all 2018 cars: 81%) 88% 20182019: 88% pass first time (all 2019 cars: 84%) 88% 20192020: 89% pass first time (all 2020 cars: 86%) 89% 20202021: 92% pass first time (all 2021 cars: 87%) 92% 20212022: 92% pass first time (all 2022 cars: 89%) 92% 2022
This model, first-time pass rate All cars registered that year · * changeover year: some cars are the previous or next generation
YearPass first timeAll cars that yearStands outMOT tests
2016*84%75% +9Link ball joint covers 4.3× usual14,615
201787%78% +9Link ball joint covers 6× usual15,245
201888%81% +7Link ball joint covers 8× usual15,181
201988%84% +4Number plate lights 2.5× usual16,858
202089%86% +3Number plate lights 3.7× usual10,124
202192%87% +5Nothing unusual3,183
202292%89% +3Nothing unusual1,690

Weak spots across the Toyota Prius Mk4

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age, in more than one year of this generation. Repeat findings like these are much less likely to be chance.

  • Link ball joint coversup to 8× usual

    Stands out in 2 years: 2018, 2017.

    Rough price £60–£150 (one joint) ClickMechanic

    At the viewing: Listen for knocking over bumps and check the rubber boots behind the wheels aren't split.

  • Number plate lightsup to 3.7× usual

    Stands out in 2 years: 2020, 2019.

    Rough price £5–£40 our estimate

    At the viewing: Check the number plate lights work and the plates are clean and legal.

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting each car's main test of the year (not retests). A weak spot needs at least 30 cars flagged and must stay 1.5× the usual rate even at the cautious end of a 95% confidence range. Generation years are approximate: cars registered in a changeover year (*) can be either generation. How we score

Looking at a Toyota Prius?

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