Toyota Corolla MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 46 model years and 631,755 tests, the Toyota Corolla passes its MOT 82.7% of the time. Against small family cars of a similar age (21.1% fail rate), the Corolla comes out 3.8pp better. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
Best and worst Corolla years
Ranked across Corolla years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2024 cars pass 97.5% of the time while 1998 cars manage 72.8%, a 24.7-point spread.
One area stands out: lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.4% of tests against 7.5% for the next-worst category.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, headlamp and wipers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 37,484 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 26.1% versus 4.8%.
The hybrid cars hold up better: 6.3% fail against 23.4% for diesel, a 17.1-point gap across 274,260 tests.
Brakes is the most common advisory, noted on 26.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is improving — the fail rate fell from 22.0% in 2021 to 13.5% in 2025, as the worst-kept examples leave the fleet.
How it compares
By model year
Every Corolla model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 62 | 83.9% | 16.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 86 | 95.3% | 4.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 187 | 85.6% | 14.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 189 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 228 | 84.7% | 15.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 176 | 83.0% | 17.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 229 | 79.0% | 21.0% | Brakes |
| 1990 | 406 | 78.8% | 21.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 459 | 81.0% | 18.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 934 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 1,394 | 77.3% | 22.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 1,372 | 76.0% | 24.0% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 1,215 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Suspension |
| 1996 | 1,528 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 3,956 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 7,630 | 72.8% | 27.3% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 9,421 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 9,428 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 15,214 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 28,724 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 42,688 | 74.5% | 25.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 55,733 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 82,346 | 77.3% | 22.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 88,767 | 78.4% | 21.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 32,508 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 22,911 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 8,553 | 80.3% | 19.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 608 | 82.1% | 17.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2011 | 116 | 81.9% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 80 | 78.8% | 21.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 73 | 87.7% | 12.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 294 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 179 | 89.4% | 10.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 128 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 159 | 92.5% | 7.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2018 | 107 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 72,084 | 93.3% | 6.7% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 61,965 | 93.5% | 6.5% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 44,918 | 93.8% | 6.2% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 25,701 | 94.8% | 5.2% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 6,215 | 95.8% | 4.2% | Tyres |
| 2024 | 2,241 | 97.5% | 2.5% | Tyres |
| 2025 | 501 | 99.6% | 0.4% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 12.4% | 78,448 |
| 2 | Brakes | 7.5% | 47,318 |
| 3 | Visibility | 5.3% | 33,468 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.5% | 28,525 |
| 5 | Suspension | 4.3% | 27,278 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.8% | 17,714 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.8% | 17,515 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.9% | 5,639 |
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 | 37,484 |
| 2 | Headlamp | 29,984 |
| 3 | Wipers | 27,051 |
| 4 | Position lamp | 23,164 |
| 5 | Stop lamp | 18,175 |
| 6 | Service brake performance | 17,536 |
| 7 | Tread depth | 14,562 |
| 8 | Brake pads | 13,692 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 26.8% | 169,020 |
| 2 | Tyres | 24.1% | 152,591 |
| 3 | Suspension | 22.1% | 139,738 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 14.1% | 88,996 |
| 5 | Other defects | 12.6% | 79,612 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 8.5% | 53,381 |
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 | 93,336 | 4.8% |
| 30-60k | 119,543 | 10.7% |
| 60-90k | 133,439 | 17.8% |
| 90-120k | 139,615 | 22.5% |
| 120-150k | 88,982 | 24.7% |
| 150k+ | 56,602 | 26.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 357,415 | 22.7% |
| Hybrid | 209,270 | 6.3% |
| Diesel | 64,990 | 23.4% |
| Other | 44 | 18.2% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 112,502 | 22.0% |
| 2022 | 115,230 | 19.5% |
| 2023 | 125,381 | 17.5% |
| 2024 | 135,050 | 15.5% |
| 2025 | 143,592 | 13.5% |
What to check before buying a Toyota Corolla
- Lighting & signalling (12.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (7.5% 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.
- Visibility (5.3% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£150.
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 Corolla?
82.7% of the 631,755 Toyota Corolla MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.3% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Toyota Corolla most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 12.4% of tests, then brakes (7.5%).
Which Corolla years are best and worst for MOT results?
2024 has the best pass rate at 97.5% and 1998 the weakest at 72.8%, from 2,241 and 7,630 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Corolla MOT results?
Fail rates run at 4.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 26.1% for 150k+, a 21.3-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Corolla more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 6.3% of the time against 23.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 631,755 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.