2012 Toyota Yaris TR VVT-I 1.3L Petrol · KY12 FHB

The Toyota Yaris presents a clean bill of health on paper, with a current MOT that passed on 22 April 2026 at 123,472 miles and no defects recorded. The maintenance trend is stable and, by the measure of the MOT record, improving. The last failure occurred on 11 March 2025 at 114,548 miles, but the record shows no defects were logged against that failure, suggesting the failure may have been administrative or the defects were rectified before a retest was formally recorded. Since that date, two consecutive passes with zero advisories indicate the car has been kept in sound mechanical order. The mileage accumulation is consistent and unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle now approaching its fifteenth year. Between the December 2022 pass at 92,056 miles and the March 2025 failure at 114,548 miles, the car covered roughly 22,500 miles in just over two years, a rate of around 10,000 miles per year. The most recent annual increment, from 114,959 miles in March 2025 to 123,472 miles in April 2026, shows approximately 8,500 miles in thirteen months, which is typical. There are no alarming gaps in the test history that would suggest the car sat unused for extended periods, and the annual testing pattern has been maintained without interruption since at least 2022. Despite the clean MOT record, a buyer should carry out a thorough physical inspection focused on areas the MOT does not fully stress-test. At 123,472 miles, suspension components such as front lower arm bushes, rear beam bushings, and shock absorber dust covers are well within the age and mileage window where perishing and cracking become common. The rear brake setup on this generation Yaris, particularly the drum brake adjusters and wheel cylinder seals, deserves close attention since binding or seizing rear brakes are a frequent failure point on small hatchbacks of this era and can develop between tests without triggering an advisory. Tyre condition and date codes should be checked, as uneven wear on the inner edges of the rear tyres can point to worn rear axle bushes or tracking drift that a static MOT inspection might not flag. Structural integrity beneath the car is the single most important area to inspect in person. The Yaris of this generation is susceptible to corrosion on the rear sills, subframe mounting points, and around the front suspension towers, particularly if the car has spent time in coastal or road-salt-heavy environments. Surface corrosion that is cosmetic at present can progress to structural perforation within a couple of winter seasons. A buyer should also verify that the exhaust system remains free from leaks, as the mild steel manifold and downpipe on the 1.3-litre VVT-i engine are prone to cracking and corrosion-induced failure at this mileage. The clean MOT history is encouraging, but it is no substitute for an underside inspection on a car of this age.