7,977 tests in 2025
Toyota Celica reliability and MOT pass rate
67% passed first time. The 33% fail rate is 10.4 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 22 years old with 116,525 miles.
Pass rate
67%
22.6% of all cars failed; 33% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
116,525 mi
22 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 3 | — |
| 6-9 years | 10 | — |
| 10-13 years | 13 | — |
| 14+ years | 7,951 | 33.1% |
What the Celica fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Suspension78 dangerous41%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4 dangerous39.2%
- Brakes284 dangerous37.8%
- Noise, emissions and leaks5 dangerous33.2%
- Body, chassis, structure41 dangerous24.7%
- Tyres404 dangerous14.8%
- Visibility1 dangerous12.7%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4 dangerous6.2%
Is the Celica getting worse?
The fail rate fell 0.6 points to 33% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 12,279 | 19 | 33.6% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 10,862 | 20 | 32.5% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 8,638 | 21 | 32.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 7,976 | 22 | 33% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Celica at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Celica in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength384 tests
- 2Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits342 tests
- 3Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect292 tests
- 4Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases261 tests
- 5Position lamp: not working259 tests
- 6Coil spring: fractured or broken215 tests
- 7Service brake imbalance: across an axle210 tests
- 8Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements189 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Celica collects 3.75 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,102 tests
- 2Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,021 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened964 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm946 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure835 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened829 tests
- 7Sub-frame: corroded and seriously weakened798 tests
- 8Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened703 tests
Questions
What is the Toyota Celica MOT pass rate?
67% of the 7,977 Toyota Celica first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 33% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Toyota Celica usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength", recorded on 384 failed tests, followed by "Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits" and "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect". By section, suspension appears in 41% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 39.2% of failures, brakes appears in 37.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 0%; at 14+ years it was 33.1%. The median Toyota Celica tested in 2025 was 22 years old with 116,525 miles.
Is the Toyota Celica getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 0.6 points to 33% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years, which is about what ageing alone predicts (-1.2 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Celica trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 3 safety recalls naming the Toyota Celica: Toyota Celica recalls.
Other Toyota models
- Yaris 20.4%
- Aygo 18.7%
- Land Cruiser 20.4%
- Proace 21.4%
- Alphard 22.2%
- Mr2 28.5%
- Hi-Ace 26.9%
- Landcruiser 27%
- Gt86 13.7%
- Hiace 28.8%
Checking a particular Celica?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.