At a glance
How 4,322 first tests went in 2025.
- Passed first time
- 57 in every 100
- Did not pass first time
- 43 in every 1001,861 failed first-attempt tests
- The typical car
- 22 yearsabout 99,977 miles
- First tests counted
- 4,322
What failed most often
- Headlight (front)11 in every 100 failed tests
- Headlight aim11 in every 100 failed tests
- Individual sidelight or tail light (front)9 in every 100 failed tests
How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.
These are patterns across 2003 Toyota Corolla vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. A wear pattern follows age and use more than the way the car was built. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.
Brakes
Two faults and two wear patterns. The strongest is the flexible brake hoses (rear): 7.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Figures below are measured across the 1,859 of 1,861 failed first attempts (99.9%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.
We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.
Flexible brake hoses (rear)
What it means
Testers reject a flexible brake hose for being excessively damaged or chafed only if it is severe enough to expose the reinforcement. Slight damage, chafing or twisting is graded Minor. A leak is graded Dangerous on a hydraulic braking system and Major on an air system, and a hose damaged and likely to fail is also Dangerous.
Brake pads (rear)
What it means
A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 136 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake performance (roller test, front)
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 105 first tests, 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Brake pads (front)
What it means
A pad worn down to its wear indicator, or contaminated with oil or grease, is Major. A pad worn below the set thickness limit, missing or incorrectly mounted is Dangerous. The manual treats an illuminated brake wear indicator as no reason for failure, although DVSA also lists an illuminated indicator as a Major row.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Lamps and electrical
One fault and one wear pattern. The strongest is the headlight aim not tested: 2.4 times as often as on similar cars.
Headlight aim not tested
What it means
Headlamp aim recorded as not tested, or unable to be tested, is a Major failure. These results must only be used where it becomes apparent during the test that the item cannot be tested, and this could not have been identified before starting. The reason must be included in the additional information box.
Headlight (front)
What it means
On vehicles first used on or after a set date, a halogen headlamp unit converted to take HID or LED bulbs fails for light source and lamp not compatible, which is Major. A complete unit built with those light sources is not failed for that. The precise position of the lamps is not part of the inspection beyond a visual look to see that they sit at about the same height and distance from each side.
Also noted as an advisory
Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 125 first tests, 2.5 times as often as on similar cars.
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.
Advisories
Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.
An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.
Swivel pins and bushes (rear)
Brake performance (plate test, front)
Suspension sub-frame pins and bushes (rear)
Suspension arm (front)
Side repeater indicators
Number plates
Brake performance (plate test, rear)
Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.
MOT pass rates
How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.
- Passed first time
- 57in every 100
- Passed on the first test.
- Fixed at the station
- 10in every 100
- Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
- Failed
- 33in every 100
- Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.
First-attempt pass 56.9% of 4,322 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 66.8%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 10 fixed and the 33 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.
Same model, other years
Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.
Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 56 in every 100 passed first time.
| Year | Passed first time | First tests |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 59 in every 100 | 384 |
| 1998 | 56 in every 100 | 732 |
| 1999 | 60 in every 100 | 904 |
| 2000 | 62 in every 100 | 867 |
| 2001 | 62 in every 100 | 1,613 |
| 2002 | 60 in every 100 | 2,840 |
| 2003 This car | 57 in every 100 | 4,322 |
| 2004 | 56 in every 100 | 5,771 |
| 2005 | 59 in every 100 | 9,163 |
| 2006 | 60 in every 100 | 10,479 |
| 2007 | 60 in every 100 | 3,658 |
| 2008 | 59 in every 100 | 2,731 |
| 2009 | 59 in every 100 | 1,092 |
If you are buying one
What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.
Mileage matters most on a 2003 Corolla.
Of 2003 Corolla vehicles with under 70,000 miles, 69 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 133,000 miles or more, 49 in every 100 did.
What to check at your mileage
How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.
| Under 70,000 | 91,000–109,000 | 133,000 and over | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlight (front) | 3.2 | 6.4 | 6.4 |
| Headlight aim | 3.3 | 5.8 | 4.2 |
| Individual sidelight or tail light (front) | 1.2 | 5.0 | 6.4 |
| Handbrake efficiency below minimum (roller test) | 0.9 | 3.3 | 5.7 |
| Suspension mounting area (rear) | 1.4 | 3.4 | 3.8 |
Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.
When a car fails
of failed cars had one item to fix.
of failed cars had three or more items to fix.
of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).
Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.
FAQs
Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.
About this data
How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.
These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.
What we include
UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.
Same-day repairs
PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.
How we compare
We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.
What this does not cover
- MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
- Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
- Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
- If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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