Toyota Corolla MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Corolla is 6.5 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 78.5%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Toyota Corolla tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements15.8%

   3,045 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained

2. 2.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen15.7%

   3,031 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

3. 3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.9%

   2,091 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

4. 4.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning10.5%

   2,032 occurrencesLamp not working explained

5. 5.A tyre seriously damaged9.8%

   1,893 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

6. 6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.5%

   1,831 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

7. 7.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired7.5%

   1,437 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

8. 8.Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.0%

   1,353 occurrencesStop lamp not working explained

9. 9.A tyre cords visible or damaged6.3%

   1,212 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained

10. 10.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake6.0%

    1,154 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Toyota Corolla tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1. 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements19.2%

   24,409 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

2. 2.A tyre seriously damaged10.9%

   13,884 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

3. 3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured10.7%

   13,570 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

4. 4.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded8.1%

   10,231 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

5. 5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.0%

   10,097 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

6. 6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm5.5%

   7,021 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

7. 7.Number plate inscription missing or illegible5.4%

   6,796 testsRegistration plate missing, insecure or illegible explained

8. 8.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded4.6%

   5,847 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Corolla fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

72,910

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Hybrid62.0%

Petrol33.1%

Diesel4.9%

Compare within the range

Other Toyota models

• Toyota Yaris — 72.3% adjusted
• Toyota Aygo — 70.4% adjusted
• Toyota Prius — 81.4% adjusted
• Toyota Auris — 72.6% adjusted
• Toyota RAV4 — 79.0% adjusted
• Toyota C-Hr — 86.0% unadjusted
• All Toyota models →

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

• Volkswagen UP — 76.8% adjusted, ranked 88
• Audi A5 — 79.1% adjusted, ranked 61
• Mazda 2 — 69.8% adjusted, ranked 173
• Peugeot 308 — 67.5% adjusted, ranked 202

Common questions

Is the Toyota Corolla reliable?

On MOT evidence the Toyota Corolla is well above average. It passes 78.8% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 61% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Toyota Corolla?

The item recorded most often is "The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements", which appears in 15.8% of failed Toyota Corolla tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Toyota Corolla?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 19.2% of all Toyota Corolla tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Toyota Corolla usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 72,910 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a Toyota Corolla get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 89.8% of Toyota Corolla tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 59.5%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Toyota Corolla models petrol or diesel?

Of the Toyota Corolla cars tested, 62% are hybrid, 33% are petrol, 5% are diesel. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Toyota