MOT performance
Toyota Corolla diesel: MOT pass rate and common failures
Of 18,422 MOT tests on diesel Toyota Corollas in 2023–2024 (on average 16.7 years old at test, median 131,768 miles), 58.6% passed first time, against 61.0% of 107,022 petrol Toyota Corolla tests. Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, diesel Toyota Corollas failed 6% less often than comparable cars — 0.94× against 0.93× for the Toyota Corolla as a whole.
18,422 MOT tests on 10,400 vehicles, 2023–2024 · Source: DVSA (Open Government Licence) · Analysis: 73 Auto
Check a specific car's MOT history and running costsAt a glance
| Figure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| First-time pass rate | 58.6% | ±0.7 pts (95%), n = 18,422 |
| All Toyota Corollas | 72.3% | n = 214,244 |
| Failures vs similar cars | 0.94× | same age, mileage and fuel = 1.00; Toyota Corolla overall 0.93× |
| Tests with a dangerous defect | 11.8% | n = 18,422 |
| Average age at test | 16.7 years | n = 18,422 |
| Registration years covered | 1993–2016 | DVSA first-use date |
Diesel against the other Toyota Corolla fuels
Official DVSA test results by fuel, with 73 Auto's adjusted ratio (failures against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel). The diesel cars were tested 1.8 years younger on average than the petrol ones, so the raw pass rates partly reflect age; the adjusted column doesn't.
| Fuel | Tests | Average age | First-time pass | vs similar cars | Dangerous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 107,022 | 18.5 yrs | 61.0% | -8% | 9.6% |
| Hybrid | 51,003 | 3.2 yrs | 88.5% | -5% | 3.1% |
| Diesel | 18,422 | 16.7 yrs | 58.6% | -6% | 11.8% |
Where diesel Toyota Corollas differ
- Noise, emissions and leaks: diesel Toyota Corollas failed 104% more often than the Toyota Corolla overall, relative to comparable cars (1.34× vs 0.66×).
- Road wheels: diesel Toyota Corollas failed 50% more often than the Toyota Corolla overall, relative to comparable cars (1.19× vs 0.80×).
- Body, chassis and structure: diesel Toyota Corollas failed 35% less often than the Toyota Corolla overall, relative to comparable cars (0.42× vs 0.65×).
| Area | Diesel (vs similar) | All Toyota Corollas (vs similar) |
|---|---|---|
| Lights, reflectors and electrical | 24.3% (+16%) | 13.8% (+3%) |
| Brakes | 14.2% (-1%) | 8.3% (+7%) |
| Suspension | 8.4% (-55%) | 4.9% (-50%) |
| Driver's view of the road | 8.0% (+15%) | 6.2% (+10%) |
| Tyres | 6.9% (-9%) | 5.4% (-11%) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.8% (+34%) | 3.1% (-34%) |
| Body, chassis and structure | 4.0% (-58%) | 3.2% (-35%) |
| Seat belts and airbags | 2.1% (-34%) | 1.0% (-36%) |
| Steering | 1.3% (-73%) | 0.5% (-76%) |
| Registration plates and VIN | 0.8% (+24%) | 0.6% (+22%) |
| Road wheels | 0.8% (+19%) | 0.3% (-20%) |
Most common diesel Toyota Corolla failure items
| Item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working | Lights, reflectors and electrical | 8.13% |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights, reflectors and electrical | 5.54% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights, reflectors and electrical | 4.38% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Driver's view of the road | 4.20% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | Lights, reflectors and electrical | 3.67% |
Pass rate by age, by fuel
| Age at test (years) | diesel pass rate (tests) | petrol pass rate (tests) | hybrid pass rate (tests) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | — | 90.6% (1,947) | 88.3% (31,645) |
| 5-6 | — | 87.6% (226) | 88.1% (4,203) |
| 13-15 | 61.0% (4,765) | 65.1% (6,051) | — |
| 16+ | 57.8% (13,626) | 60.1% (98,513) | — |
Toyota Corolla by registration year
Registration-year pages cover every fuel of that year.
- 1998 Toyota Corolla · 59.3%
- 1999 Toyota Corolla · 61.9%
- 2000 Toyota Corolla · 63.7%
- 2001 Toyota Corolla · 63.1%
- 2002 Toyota Corolla · 58.3%
- 2003 Toyota Corolla · 57.1%
- 2004 Toyota Corolla · 57.5%
- 2005 Toyota Corolla · 59.4%
- 2006 Toyota Corolla · 61.3%
- 2007 Toyota Corolla · 61.3%
- 2008 Toyota Corolla · 62.0%
- 2009 Toyota Corolla · 63.2%
- 2019 Toyota Corolla · 88.2%
- 2020 Toyota Corolla · 89.2%
- 2021 Toyota Corolla · 89.2%
What this does and doesn't tell you
Fuel is DVSA's recorded fuel type; plug-in and self-charging hybrids are grouped as hybrid. A difference between fuels can come from the engines themselves, or from how the cars are used — diesels typically cover more miles, and the adjusted ratio allows for mileage band but not for every difference in use. For one car, its own MOT history is the better guide: see MOT check.
Check a specific diesel Toyota Corolla
Enter a UK registration to see that car's own MOT history and what it is likely to cost to own. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.
UK number plate or 17-character VIN
About this data. These are MOT test results, not a measure of mechanical reliability: a car's MOT outcome reflects its condition on the day, which depends on how it has been maintained and driven as well as how it was built. Figures cover class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans), normal tests only (retests excluded), outcomes pass, fail and pass after rectification at the station; vehicles at least 2.5 years old at test. Tests from 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30. “Compared with similar cars” means compared with the national rate for cars of the same age, mileage band and fuel. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Makes and models are matched to 73 Auto's vehicle catalogue; tests that can't be matched are left out rather than guessed. See how the MOT figures are produced.