Toyota Townace (1991)
1991 Toyota Townace
CarHunch analysed 496 real MOT records for the 1991 Toyota Townace. This breakdown of actual test outcomes — pass rates, defect profiles, mileage data — isn't published anywhere else.
The 1991 Toyota Townace struggles to keep up with modern reliability standards, passing MOT on first attempt just 57% of the time against the UK average of 80%—a significant gap that reflects the vehicle's age and condition. With nearly 13% of examples having suffered a dangerous defect, buyers should expect these nearly 33-year-old vans to require serious mechanical attention before purchase.
These Townaces average 143,000 miles, which is reasonable for their age, but the typical vehicle racks up 1.82 failures and nearly 6 advisories per MOT, pointing to cumulative wear across multiple systems rather than one dominant weak spot. Before committing to one, budget for a pre-purchase inspection by a Toyota specialist and assume you'll be addressing at least brakes, suspension, or rust issues before the next test.
What to check before buying a 1991 Toyota Townace
Practical pre-purchase checks for this age and model.
- 📋 Check the full MOT history. Look for recurring advisories — slow-building issues like corrosion or brake wear patterns show up years before they become failures. Enter the reg below for a full AI analysis.
- 🔍 Inspect for corrosion in person. Brake pipes, sills, subframes, and chassis legs. Surface rust is normal at this age; structural rust is a serious problem that's expensive to fix and can fail an MOT.
- 🛞 Check tyres and brakes. The most common advisory items at this age. Budget for replacement if they're near the limit — factor this into your offer price.
- 📄 Run an HPI check. The MOT history won't show outstanding finance, insurance write-offs, or stolen status — an HPI check will.
Before you buy a Toyota Townace
MOT history is one piece of the puzzle. These checks can reveal what CarHunch can't.
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Pass Rate by Fuel Type
| Fuel type | Vehicles | Pass rate | Avg failures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diesel (96%) | 478 | 56.8% | 1.82 |
| Petrol (4%) | 18 | 68.5% | 1.72 |
Mileage Distribution
Most 1991 Toyota Townace vehicles sit in the blue band. If the car you're looking at is outside it, it's either unusually low or high mileage for its age.
Half of all 1991 Toyota Townace vehicles fall between 116,192 and 165,940 miles.
1991 Toyota Townace — Still on the Road
Numbers are declining — 12 vehicles still getting MOTs in 2020 (32% of peak).
Based on vehicles from this manufacture year that had at least one MOT test in each calendar year. Data from 2014–2020.
MOT History Averages
Most Common MOT Issues — 1991 Toyota Townace
Based on actual MOT test records for this model. Percentage shows how often each item appears across all vehicles in this cohort.
-
34.8%
Exhaust emits an excessive level of metered smoke for a turbo charged engine
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27.9%
Offside Rear fog lamp not working
-
20.5%
Oil leak
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20.4%
Parking brake: efficiency below requirements
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19.7%
Offside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit
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19.1%
Offside Front wheel bearing has slight play
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19%
Nearside Front Tyre worn close to the legal limit
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18.4%
Nearside Front wheel bearing has slight play
Data covers a 3-year window centred on 1991. Counts include advisories and failures.
Found a specific Toyota Townace?
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