2025 MOT results
Toyota Corolla common problems
The most common reason a Toyota Corolla fails its MOT is wiper blades that do not clear the screen, on 15.0% of its 26,921 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: wiper blades that do not clear the screen at 15.0% of failures against 8.9% expected; a number plate lamp out at 5.3% of failures against 3.2% expected; a weak or uneven footbrake at 4.6% of failures against 2.9% expected.
- Tests in 2025 122,102 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.0% 26,921 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.4% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 46.2% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Toyota Corolla MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Toyota Corolla tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 15.0% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10.4% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.1% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.7% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 6.5% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 6.2% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.1% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.5% |
| Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.3% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.8% |
| Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes | 4.6% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 4.3% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
15.0% of failures 8.9% expected 1.7 times as often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Sidelight out
10.4% of failures 9.2% expected about as expected
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
9.1% of failures 6.8% expected somewhat more often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
-
Brake light out
8.7% of failures 6.8% expected somewhat more often
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
6.5% of failures 7.4% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Cut tyre
6.2% of failures 6.2% expected about as expected
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Toyota Corolla, on 46.6% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 40.1%.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 46.6% |
| Brakes | 26.1% |
| Visibility | 23.9% |
| Tyres | 21.7% |
| Suspension | 17.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.1% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.4% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
46.2% of Toyota Corolla tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Toyota Corollas, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 15.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 7.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.8% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 6.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 5.2% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 4.8% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 4.8% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.6% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.2% |
| Headlamp: product on the lens but not seriously reducing light output Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.1% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.8% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 2.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Toyota Corolla gets older
A 2022 Toyota Corolla failed 9.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2002 one failed 39.4%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Toyota Corolla 9.7% failed, from 18,786 tests
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 24.8%
- Cut tyre 16.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.3%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 8.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 8.4%
- Washers that do not work 7.5%
2002 Toyota Corolla 39.4% failed, from 2,925 tests
- Headlamp aim out of line 17.2%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 11.3%
- Headlamp out 10.8%
- Brake light out 10.5%
- Sidelight out 9.8%
- Worn brake pads 9.0%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Toyota Corolla problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Toyota Corolla?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively” is the most common: it appears on 15.0% of failed Toyota Corolla tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 46.6% of failed tests.
How often does a Toyota Corolla fail its MOT?
22.0% of Toyota Corolla tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 122,102 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 56 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Toyota Corolla than on other cars?
Yes. “Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively” appears on 15.0% of its failures against 8.9% for cars of the same age, and “Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps” appears on 5.3% of its failures against 3.2% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Toyota Corolla aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 122,102 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.