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
| First-time pass rate | 70.2% |
| UK national average | 76.7% |
| Difference | -6.5 points |
| Tests analysed | 567 |
| Average mileage at test | 109,138 miles |
| Average year of manufacture | 1994 |
| Reliability rank | 1,754 of 2,005 models |
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. On a Toyota Carina bought as a 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 what damaged Toyota Carinas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.
Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Carina
- Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 3.9% of tests (17.7x the national rate for this defect)
- Emissions levels exceed default limits, 4.1% of tests (14.02x the national rate for this defect)
- Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 4.1% of tests (10.35x the national rate for this defect)
- 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., 2.7% of tests (6.81x the national rate for this defect)
- 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, 4.9% of tests (5.85x the national rate for this defect)
- Emissions test unable to be completed, 1.6% of tests (5.07x the national rate for this defect)
- A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 4.6% of tests (4.09x the national rate for this defect)
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4.2% of tests (3.38x the national rate for this defect)
- Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.4% of tests (3.2x the national rate for this defect)
- Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 2.1% of tests (2.52x the national rate for this defect)
From 1,440 DVSA-tracked Toyota Carina tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 2.06% of these flagged Toyota Carina defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.
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
Embed this data
Run a site about the Toyota Carina? Embed the real DVSA pass-rate badge free, linked back to this page.
<a href="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/mot/toyota-carina"><img src="https://www.salvageprophet.co.uk/badge/toyota-carina.svg" width="340" height="92" alt="Toyota Carina MOT Pass Rate: 70.2% - Salvage Prophet"></a>