2006 Toyota Aygo 1.0L Petrol · WV56 RYW

A recurring pattern of front suspension wear defines this Aygo's recent history, with anti-roll bar linkage bushes flagged across both the 2025 and 2026 tests, a lower suspension arm ball joint showing slight play in 2025, and a slightly noisy offside front wheel bearing noted at the most recent pass on 25 March 2026. None of these items has yet reached failure threshold, but the trend is one of gradual, accumulating wear in the front running gear rather than a clean bill of health. The two recorded failures, in September 2021 and April 2023, were both lighting and visibility related (headlamp lenses, position lamps, a stop lamp, and a wiper not clearing effectively), and both were rectified and retested as passes within a day, suggesting the underlying mechanical structure has never been the cause of a refusal. A corroded but not excessive offside outer suspension mounting area near the sill, noted in 2021, and a minor rear exhaust leak flagged in both 2024 and 2025, are the other standing items worth tracking. At 101,269 miles over roughly twenty years, the car has averaged only about 5,000 miles annually, which is light use for its age. There is a notable gap in the record between September 2021 and April 2023, consistent with either reduced use or a period off the road during that interval. Low annual mileage on a small city car typically means the engine and drivetrain have seen modest cumulative stress, but it does not exempt rubber and suspension components from age-related deterioration, which is precisely what the MOT record shows: worn bushes, perished track rod end dust covers, and binding rear brakes in 2023 are all consistent with age and light, possibly stop-start, usage rather than high-mileage fatigue. On a test drive, the front suspension items deserve the closest attention. Listen for a humming or droning that rises with road speed, which would indicate the offside front wheel bearing is deteriorating beyond the slightly noisy stage, and check whether it changes pitch when weaving gently left and right. Drive over uneven surfaces and speed bumps at low speed and listen for knocking or rattling from the front, which would point to the worn anti-roll bar linkages or the lower arm ball joint progressing; also feel for any vagueness or play through the steering, given the deteriorated track rod end dust covers on both sides, since once dirt enters those joints wear accelerates. The rear of the car warrants equal scrutiny. The minor exhaust leak recorded in 2024 and 2025 may have worsened, so listen for blowing or rasping from under the rear of the car on start-up and under acceleration, and check the rear brakes for any drag, pulling, or a hot smell after a short drive, given the binding noted on both sides in 2023. Finally, inspect the offside sill and suspension mounting area for any progression of the corrosion recorded in 2021, as rust in a prescribed area can move from advisory to structural failure relatively quickly on a car of this age. None of these findings is unusual for a twenty-year-old city car, but a buyer should budget for the front suspension bushes, linkages, and wheel bearing as near-term work, and use the documented items as negotiation points.