Toyota Celica: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Toyota Celica fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 10.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 9,608 individual Toyota Celica tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 66.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 33 in every 100 Toyota Celicas 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 Celica tested had covered 116,658 miles and was built around 2002.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Toyota Celica 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 Celica 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 Celicas actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Toyota Celica

1. Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, 2.6% of tests (11.65x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 3% of tests (10.43x the national rate for this defect)
3. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 3.6% of tests (9.07x the national rate for this defect)
4. 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, 5% of tests (5.99x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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., 2.3% of tests (5.66x the national rate for this defect)
6. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2% of tests (5.62x the national rate for this defect)
7. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 2.9% of tests (3.76x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 5.8% of tests (3.28x the national rate for this defect)
9. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2% of tests (2.56x 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% of tests (1.83x the national rate for this defect)

From 16,214 DVSA-tracked Toyota Celica tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.23% of these flagged Toyota Celica defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Toyota Celica pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Toyota Celica year:

• 1996 Toyota Celica - 65% first-time pass, 297 tests
• 1997 Toyota Celica - 65.5% first-time pass, 293 tests
• 1998 Toyota Celica - 67% first-time pass, 437 tests
• 1999 Toyota Celica - 68% first-time pass, 319 tests
• 2000 Toyota Celica - 65.7% first-time pass, 411 tests
• 2001 Toyota Celica - 67.9% first-time pass, 866 tests
• 2002 Toyota Celica - 68.2% first-time pass, 1,006 tests
• 2003 Toyota Celica - 65.5% first-time pass, 1,284 tests
• 2004 Toyota Celica - 66.5% first-time pass, 1,464 tests
• 2005 Toyota Celica - 66.9% first-time pass, 1,302 tests
• 2006 Toyota Celica - 67.7% first-time pass, 928 tests

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

• Mazda Demio - 66.8%
• SEAT Arosa - 66.7%
• Fiat Coupe - 66.7%
• Fiat 500 L - 66.5%
• Nissan Figaro - 66.5%
• Peugeot E7 - 66.5%

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

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate