78.6%
Toyota Corolla pass rate
Used Toyota Corolla buying guide
In 2025, Toyota Corolla cars passed 78.6% of 126,958 initial MOT tests, 6.3 points above the 72.3% UK average. Here is where it fails and what to check before you buy.
Looking at a specific Corolla? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Toyota Corolla MOT record in brief
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded.
72.3%
UK average, all cars
+6.3
percentage points above average
Ranked on pass rate the Corolla sits 220th of 575 models in the data. Toyota as a brand averaged 75.1%, so this model runs 3.5 points ahead of its own brand. Toyota Corolla cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.5%.
A pass rate is not a reliability score. The full Toyota Corolla MOT record has the pass rate by age, every common failure and how the Corolla compares with similar cars.
Corolla fuel types
Hybrid electric was the most common fuel among Toyota Corolla cars tested in 2025. Diesel made up just 4.9% of tests.
Where the Corolla fails its MOT
Where Toyota Corolla cars that failed their 2025 MOT were marked down, as a share of all recorded failure items.
The specific items testers recorded most often were wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively (7.6%), headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect (5.4%) and position lamp not working (4.9%). See every common Corolla MOT failure.
These are DVSA failure records across every Toyota Corolla that failed, not a claim that every Corolla has these problems.
What should you check when buying a used Corolla?
The areas above, most common first, and what an MOT tester looks at in each.
1
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting. 31.9% of Corolla failure items.
2
Brakes
Make sure the pedal feels firm, the car stops in a straight line, the handbrake holds on a slope and no brake warning light is showing. 18.7% of Corolla failure items.
3
Visibility
Check the windscreen for chips or cracks in the driver's view, and that the wipers and washers clear it properly. 12% of Corolla failure items.
4
Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear. 11.8% of Corolla failure items.
5
Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters. 10.9% of Corolla failure items.
None of this replaces the car's own record. Run a free MOT history check on the registration to see every test, advisory and recorded mileage for that car.
Corolla vs similar cars
Head-to-head comparisons on the same 2025 DVSA data.
What the MOT record doesn't tell you
Knowing Toyota Corolla failures cluster around lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment and brakes tells you what to inspect. It tells you nothing about whether the car is safe to buy. An MOT does not show money still owed on the car, a write-off, a theft record or a clocked odometer.
Check the exact Corolla you are looking at. One £15 report, instant results, backed by a £30,000 data guarantee. More on the Toyota history check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
Other used Toyota models
The most-tested Toyota models in 2025, with how their MOT pass rate compares with the Corolla.
Used Toyota Corolla FAQs
Is the Toyota Corolla reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is a 78.6% first-time pass rate for the Toyota Corolla across 126,958 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Do older Toyota Corolla cars fail their MOT more often?
Toyota Corolla cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.6% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 11 years and over that fell to 59.5%. On an older example, the car's own MOT history tells you more than the model average.
What should I check before buying a used Toyota Corolla?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, brakes and visibility. Then check the individual car's history: outstanding finance, insurance write-off records, stolen markers, mileage and previous keepers. None of these appear in the MOT record or on the V5C.
How do I check a Toyota Corolla's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.