Toyota Celica MOT pass rate and common failures
Of 7,185 class-4 normal initial MOT tests in 2024, 62% passed without an initial fail or PRS repair — below the 71.2% UK average.
Checking a Toyota Celica?
Model-level statistics cannot reveal the condition or provenance of one car.
Check its registration free for the actual MOT, tax and mileage record. Before buying, the optional £9.99 full history check adds outstanding-finance, stolen and insurance write-off checks.
Pass rate by vehicle age
| Age | Tests | Initial pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 15–30 years | 7,132 | 61.8% |
Common initial failure categories
These are the items that most often caused a Toyota Celica to fail its first test, with what each one usually means for a buyer.
- Exhaust Emissions — 11% of tests. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
- Brake Performance — 8.3% of tests. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
- Headlamp Aim — 7% of tests. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Position Lamps — 4.8% of tests. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Headlamps — 4.5% of tests. A headlight fault, from a blown bulb to a failed unit.
- Condition — 4% of tests. Corrosion, damage or wear on a tested component. Worth seeing in person, as the cost ranges from trivial to structural.
What this does and does not tell you
A pass rate describes how a population of cars behaved on test day. It says nothing about how one car was driven, serviced or repaired, and an MOT does not cover the engine, clutch or gearbox at all.
Use it to know what to look for: if tyres and brakes dominate the list, price those in; if corrosion or suspension appears, get underneath the car. Then check the individual vehicle — its MOT history shows whether these same items have been advised year after year, and its mileage record shows whether the reading is consistent.
How many Toyota Celica are left?
At the end of 2026 Q1, DfT recorded 7,000 licensed and 10,836 SORN vehicles in the Toyota Celica generic-model group.
Licensed and SORN trend for the Toyota Celica
Before you buy
- Exhaust Emissions — 11% of tests in 2024. The car exceeded its emissions limits. Can be a sensor or a service, but on a diesel it can also mean an expensive filter or catalyst.
- Brake Performance — 8.3% of tests in 2024. The brakes underperformed on the rolling road. Expect brake work rather than an adjustment.
- Headlamp Aim — 7% of tests in 2024. Headlights pointing too high or low. Cheap to adjust, and common on every make.
- Position Lamps — 4.8% of tests in 2024. A side or tail light out. Usually a bulb.
- Ask why it was off the road — Of the 17,836 Celica vehicles still on the DVLA record, 1 in 2 is SORN (10,836 at 2026 Q1). A car that has been laid up needs a closer look at brakes, tyres and the MOT history.
- Budget for a shrinking fleet — Licensed numbers are down 79% from the 2014 Q3 peak of 33,432. Fewer cars on the road usually means fewer donor parts and fewer specialists.
- Check the actual Celica — These figures describe the model group. Enter the registration for that vehicle's free MOT, tax and mileage record before you pay a deposit.
Other Toyota models
- Toyota Yaris — 71.3% pass
- Toyota Aygo — 74.8% pass
- Toyota Prius — 77.7% pass
- Toyota Auris — 72.4% pass
- Toyota Rav4 — 79.3% pass
- Toyota C-hr — 85.7% pass
See every Toyota model MOT pass rate
Common questions
What is the Toyota Celica MOT pass rate?
62% of 7,185 class-4 initial MOT tests on the Toyota Celica passed first time in 2024 — below the 71.2% UK average.
Why does the Celica fail its MOT?
The most common initial failure categories are exhaust emissions (11% of tests), brake performance (8.3% of tests), headlamp aim (7% of tests), position lamps (4.8% of tests).
How many Toyota Celica are left in the UK?
7,000 were licensed and 10,836 were SORN at the end of 2026 Q1, according to DfT and DVLA statistics for this generic-model group.
Does this tell me whether one particular Celica is a good buy?
No. These are population statistics. Enter that car's registration for its own MOT, tax and mileage record, then check outstanding finance, write-off and stolen markers before buying.
Methodology and limitations
MOT outcomes describe testable items at the time of inspection. They are not a measure of overall mechanical reliability.
Scope: Class 4 normal initial MOT tests completed in 2024. Models require at least 1,000 qualifying tests. Duplicate source rows are removed using official DVSA test IDs.
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency anonymised MOT tests and results, 2024, published 2025-05-23 under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Check the actual car
Enter the registration for that car's own free MOT, tax and mileage record. Before money changes hands, the £9.99 full history check adds outstanding finance, insurance write-off and stolen checks.