Toyota Carina: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Toyota Carina fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 567 individual Toyota Carina tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 70.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 30 in every 100 Toyota Carinas presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Toyota Carina tested had covered 109,138 miles and was built around 1994.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Toyota Carina sits 6.5 points below the national average, ranked 1,754 of 2,005 models. On one bought as repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Toyota Carina rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see recorded closing bids for damaged Toyota Carinas at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Carina

1. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 4.6% of tests (16.78x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 5.1% of tests (14.38x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 4.7% of tests (9.28x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 3.2% of tests (6.05x the national rate for this defect)
5. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 4.6% of tests (4.83x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.4% of tests (3.55x the national rate for this defect)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 3% of tests (2.95x the national rate for this defect)
8. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4.7% of tests (2.81x the national rate for this defect)
9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.6% of tests (2.46x the national rate for this defect)
10. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.7% of tests (1.65x the national rate for this defect)

From 570 DVSA-tracked Toyota Carina tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.09% of these flagged Toyota Carina defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Toyota Carina

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Toyota Carina before it actually fails on it.

1. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 3.5% of tests (6.26x the national rate for this advisory)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 7.5% of tests (4.97x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
3. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 29.3% of tests (4.73x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 11.9% of tests (4.5x the national rate for this advisory)
5. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 4.9% of tests (3.95x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 10.2% of tests (3.58x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 19.3% of tests (3.47x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 14.2% of tests (2.75x the national rate for this advisory)
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 12.3% of tests (2.6x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 2.8% of tests (2.2x the national rate for this advisory)

From 570 DVSA-tracked Toyota Carina tests, 2024.

Other Toyota models

• Toyota Yaris - 78.6%
• Toyota Aygo - 80.9%
• Toyota Prius - 86%
• Toyota Auris - 80.5%
• Toyota Rav4 - 84.3%
• Toyota C-Hr - 90.6%
• Toyota Corolla - 75.3%
• Toyota Hilux - 73%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot Expert - 70.2%
• Saab 9-5 - 70.2%
• Peugeot Independence - 70.2%
• SEAT Exeo - 70.1%
• Mitsubishi Pajero - 70.1%
• Vauxhall Combo 2300 Edition Td S/S - 70.1%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

Embed this data

Run a site about the Toyota Carina? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.

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Run a garage or parts site? Embed the Toyota Carina's top real failure reason instead, linked back here.

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate