Toyota Camry MOT pass rate & common failures
8,092 MOT tests on the Toyota Camry (1980–2024) give it an 87.7% pass rate. Against large family cars of a similar age (17.8% fail rate), the Camry comes out 5.6pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (6.0%) and brakes (3.4%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, catalyst emissions and wipers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 195 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 22.9% versus 3.7%.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 5.0% fail against 19.9% for petrol, a 14.9-point gap across 8,066 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 18.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 19.2% in 2021 to 10.0% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Camry model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 58 | 84.5% | 15.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 37 | 81.1% | 18.9% | Brakes |
| 1991 | 43 | 76.7% | 23.3% | Suspension |
| 1992 | 101 | 76.2% | 23.8% | Suspension |
| 1993 | 75 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 79 | 68.3% | 31.6% | Visibility |
| 1995 | 91 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1996 | 118 | 72.0% | 28.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 581 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 418 | 77.5% | 22.5% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 229 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 183 | 81.4% | 18.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 197 | 76.6% | 23.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 690 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 264 | 79.5% | 20.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 166 | 87.9% | 12.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 32 | 84.4% | 15.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 33 | 84.9% | 15.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 32 | 93.8% | 6.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 83 | 89.2% | 10.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 56 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 39 | 89.7% | 10.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 51 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 59 | 83.0% | 17.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 59 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 39 | 84.6% | 15.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 2,044 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 1,256 | 95.5% | 4.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 730 | 94.5% | 5.5% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 94 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 6.0% | 485 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.4% | 272 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.3% | 269 |
| 4 | Suspension | 3.3% | 266 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 2.7% | 218 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.6% | 214 |
| 7 | Visibility | 2.4% | 194 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 35 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 195 |
| 2 | Catalyst emissions | 189 |
| 3 | Wipers | 173 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 169 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 136 |
| 6 | Headlamp | 108 |
| 7 | Component mounting prescribed areas | 105 |
| 8 | Joints | 94 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 18.7% | 1,510 |
| 2 | Suspension | 14.7% | 1,189 |
| 3 | Brakes | 14.0% | 1,131 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 10.2% | 823 |
| 5 | Other defects | 8.1% | 657 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 7.9% | 642 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 1,601 | 3.7% |
| 30-60k | 1,765 | 7.5% |
| 60-90k | 1,565 | 11.4% |
| 90-120k | 1,345 | 17.8% |
| 120-150k | 943 | 19.4% |
| 150k+ | 872 | 22.9% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | 4,151 | 5.0% |
| Petrol | 3,915 | 19.9% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,167 | 19.2% |
| 2022 | 1,445 | 12.9% |
| 2023 | 1,762 | 11.9% |
| 2024 | 1,873 | 10.0% |
| 2025 | 1,845 | 10.0% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Camry
- Lighting & signalling (6.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.4% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Tyres (3.3% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Toyota Camry?
87.7% of the 8,092 Toyota Camry MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 12.3% fail rate, across model years 1980–2024.
What does the Toyota Camry most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 6.0% of tests, then brakes (3.4%).
How much does mileage affect Camry MOT results?
Fail rates run at 3.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.9% for 150k+, a 19.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or petrol Camry more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 5.0% of the time against 19.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 8,092 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.