Used car guide · 2021–2024

Toyota Highlander common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used Toyota Highlander, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 1,095 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

1,095MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model
1,261on the UK register

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2024202320222021

What usually goes wrong with a Toyota Highlander?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the Toyota Highlander in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common Toyota Highlander MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

  • Headlight aim

    up to 2.6× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2021.

    Rough price £20–£60 our estimate

    At the viewing: Park facing a wall at night or in a garage and check both headlight beams sit level. Aim is a cheap adjustment.

  • Wipers

    up to 2× usual

    Stands out on cars registered in 2021.

    Rough price £15–£60 our estimate

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

Toyota Highlander MOT pass rate by year

Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

YearPass first timeAll cars that yearMOT tests
202289%89% +0168 (small sample)
202187%87% +0927

Questions to ask the seller before buying a Toyota Highlander

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

  1. Any recent work on the headlight aim? (Flagged at MOT 2.6× as often on the Toyota Highlander as on other cars the same age.)
  2. Any recent work on the wipers? (Flagged at MOT 2× as often on the Toyota Highlander as on other cars the same age.)
  3. Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a Toyota Highlander?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score