Toyota

Which year Toyota Hi Ace is most reliable?

Based on 45,068 vehicles (1980–2011) and millions of DVLA MOT records.

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Not just "newer is more reliable"
These rankings compare each year at the same mileage point — a 2003 Hi Ace at 80,000 miles is judged against a 2014 Hi Ace at 80,000 miles, not its full lifetime average. Verdicts are also relative to this model's own average, not a universal scale. That's the difference between "old cars wear out" and "this year is genuinely more or less reliable."
Years to look for
2003–2011
Above-average pass rate — these years consistently do better than other Hi Aces
Below model average
1980–1986, 1988–1994
Lower pass rate than other Hi Aces — worth checking the MOT history before buying
See common failures for 1980 →
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Dataset
45,068
vehicles · 1980–2011 · millions of MOT records
CarHunch sweet spot — 1996–2008
These years hit the reliability-to-value sweet spot: a 70.0–79.2% pass rate, well above this model's median, but old enough to have depreciated significantly from peak price. If budget matters alongside reliability, start your search here.

Pass rate by year

Year Pass rate Vehicles
2011
79.9%
474 Best year
2010
79.7%
838 Recommended
2009
79.2%
951 Recommended
2008
79.2%
1,761 Recommended
2007
78.6%
2,300 Recommended
2006
77.4%
821 Recommended
2005
76.6%
675 Recommended
2004
75.9%
791 Recommended
2003
75.5%
847 Recommended
2002
74.5%
987
2001
74.4%
1,624
2000
72.7%
2,021
1999
72.1%
3,416
1998
71.3%
3,935
1997
70.6%
2,973
1996
70.0%
2,152
1995
65.8%
596
1994
61.5%
485 Below avg
1993
37.2%
575 Below avg
1992
27.9%
754 Below avg
1991
18.7%
1,016 Below avg
1990
10.0%
1,067 Below avg
1989
29.4%
229 Below avg
1988
17.5%
210 Below avg
1986
11.0%
158 Below avg
1985
3.8%
746 Below avg
1984
2.2%
806 Below avg
1983
1.8%
1,157 Below avg
1982
0.2%
2,709 Below avg
1981
0.1%
3,806 Below avg
1980
0.1%
4,188 Worst year

Click any year to see full MOT history, common faults and comparisons for those cars. Verdicts are relative to this model's own average — a good Land Rover year is judged differently from a good Toyota year.

How each year holds up at higher mileage

Each line is a different model year. The mileage ranges are divided into 5 equal groups based on how this model is actually driven in the real world — so you're comparing like-for-like, not arbitrary round numbers.

Only years with enough data across at least 3 mileage ranges are shown. Newer years appear in blue; older years in amber.

How is this measured?

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What "pass rate" means

The percentage of all MOT tests that resulted in a pass — counted across a car's whole life, not just its first test. Higher means fewer failures over time.

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Mileage groups built from real data

We split this model's real-world mileage history into 5 equal groups — so each slice contains the same number of cars, not an arbitrary round number like "0–30,000 miles."

Does age still matter?

Yes. A low-mileage 20-year-old car has still had 20 years of weather, perishing rubber, and ageing electrics. Comparing at the same mileage narrows the gap between old and new — but doesn't erase it entirely.

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Why this beats surveys

Our figures come from the DVLA's national MOT database — over 50 million real test results from accredited garages, with no opinions involved. Most reliability guides are based on owner surveys with a few hundred responses per model.

What next?
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