117,895 tests in 2025
Toyota Corolla reliability and MOT pass rate
84.6% passed first time. The 15.4% fail rate is 7.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 63,515 miles.
Pass rate
84.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 15.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
6.3%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
63,515 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 53,542 | 6.6% |
| 6-9 years | 15,349 | 7.8% |
| 10-13 years | 88 | — |
| 14+ years | 44,241 | 29.7% |
What the Corolla 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.
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment84 dangerous39.5%
- Brakes2,911 dangerous35.5%
- Tyres4,516 dangerous28.2%
- Suspension238 dangerous24.8%
- Visibility15 dangerous20.2%
- Body, chassis, structure218 dangerous14.9%
- Noise, emissions and leaks28 dangerous11.8%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems5 dangerous4.6%
Is the Corolla getting worse?
The fail rate fell 8.4 points to 15.4% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 93,910 | — | 23.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 105,657 | — | 20.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 101,712 | — | 18.2% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 116,714 | — | 15.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Corolla 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 Corolla in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively2,290 tests
- 2Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect1,937 tests
- 3Position lamp: not working1,653 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,520 tests
- 5Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords1,500 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,491 tests
- 7Stop lamp: not working1,179 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding1,160 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Corolla collects 3.05 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.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm15,544 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened9,098 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure8,914 tests
- 4Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded6,910 tests
- 5Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened6,000 tests
- 6Registration plates: inscription illegible5,584 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick5,572 tests
- 8Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine5,347 tests
Questions
What is the Toyota Corolla MOT pass rate?
84.6% of the 117,895 Toyota Corolla first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 15.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 6.3% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Toyota Corolla usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded on 2,290 failed tests, followed by "Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect" and "Position lamp: not working". By section, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 39.5% of failures, brakes appears in 35.5% of failures, tyres appears in 28.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 6.6%; at 14+ years it was 29.7%. The median Toyota Corolla tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 63,515 miles.
Is the Toyota Corolla getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 8.4 points to 15.4% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
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 Corolla 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 28 safety recalls naming the Toyota Corolla: Toyota Corolla recalls.
Other Toyota models
Checking a particular Corolla?
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.