Toyota Celica Reliability: MOT Pass Rate by Year & Engine

Verdict

The Toyota Celica passes its MOT first time on 58.4% of tests, 3.8 points higher than a typical car of the same age and mileage (54.6%). That puts it ahead of 63% of cars on UK roads once age and mileage are taken into account.

By year of first registration, the 2006 Celica does best (beats 70% of cars) and the 1996 worst (beats 47%).

Better than average on suspension, body & structure, visibility.

Watch these weak spots

Emissions & leaks1.4×as often as a typical car

Exhaust emissions (catalyst)2.1×as often as a typical car

MOT pass rate by age

First-time pass rate at each MOT by the car’s age in years.

Toyota CelicaTypical car, same age & mileage

Best and worst years

By year of first registration, ranked against all cars on UK roads after adjusting for age and mileage. Green = better than half of cars.

Beats 55%

Beats 61%

Beats 47%

Beats 48%

Beats 52%

Beats 58%

Beats 55%

Beats 67%

Beats 69%

Beats 63%

Beats 63%

Beats 66%

Beats 70%

Engines

All years, most common first. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

Engine	Years	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	1996–2006	93,942	58.0%	Beats 63%	B
2.0 Petrol	1994–1999	11,540	62.0%	Beats 60%	C

Where it fails

Each area compared with a typical car of the same age and mileage, in points of pass rate. Tap or hover an area to see what to check.

Better than typicalTypicalWorse than typical

Exhaust: 10.7% of tests fail on emissions & leaks, against 7.9% for a typical car of the same age and mileage. Listen for a blowing exhaust at start-up and look underneath for oil or fluid leaks.

Every MOT area

Share of tests failing on each area, against a typical car of the same age and mileage (black line).

Lights & electrics

20.6% vs 22.6%

Brakes

14.9% vs 14.9%

Suspension

12.2% vs 17.8%

Emissions & leaks

10.7% vs 7.9%

Body & structure

7.5% vs 9.7%

Tyres

6.9% vs 7.1%

Visibility

6.1% vs 8.1%

Seat belts & airbags

1.8% vs 3.5%

Steering

0.9% vs 4.6%

Wheels

0.7% vs 0.5%

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Exhaust emissions (catalyst) 2.1× typical
Check past MOT emissions readings in the car's history: rising readings can mean catalyst or sensor problems.
Headlight aim
Park facing a wall at night: both dipped beams should sit level and dip to the left.
Sidelights
Walk around with the lights on: bulb failures are the easiest MOT fails to avoid.
Headlight bulbs & units
Check dipped and main beam on both sides.
Exhaust system
Listen for a blowing exhaust at start-up and look for heavy corrosion underneath.
Tyre damage & cracking
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking on both sidewalls of every tyre.

Pass rate by mileage

First-time pass rate by mileage at the test.

Toyota CelicaTypical car

Most common MOT failures

Item	This car	Typical	vs typical
Headlight aim	6.7%	6.2%	1.1×
Exhaust emissions (catalyst)	6.7%	3.2%	2.1×
Sidelights	5.2%	5.5%	1.0×
Headlight bulbs & units	4.4%	4.2%	1.0×
Exhaust system	3.9%	3.1%	1.2×
Tyre damage & cracking	3.6%	3.5%	1.0×
Windscreen wipers	3.5%	3.7%	0.9×
Brake lights	3.3%	4.5%	0.7×
Coil springs	3.1%	2.7%	1.1×
Brake performance	3.0%	2.3%	1.3×

Specific defects found

Tester wording for the most frequent failure items, per 1,000 tests.

Defect	per 1,000
The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements	67.4
Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer	39.2
A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	38.7
Exhaust system leaking or insecure	36.3
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen	34.3
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning	31.7
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	30.6
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened	30.4

Check another car

Pick a make and model to see its MOT pass rate, best and worst years and weak spots.

Every year and engine

Tap a year to see its engines. Grades compare each car with cars of the same age and mileage (A = best 20% of cars on UK roads, E = worst 20%), so an older or higher-mileage car can grade above one with a higher pass rate.

2006 Toyota Celica1 engine62.1% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	8,783	62.1%	Beats 70%	B

2005 Toyota Celica1 engine59.4% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	13,700	59.4%	Beats 66%	B

2004 Toyota Celica1 engine56.8% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	16,788	56.8%	Beats 63%	B

2003 Toyota Celica1 engine56.4% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	16,031	56.4%	Beats 63%	B

2002 Toyota Celica1 engine58.6% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	13,239	58.6%	Beats 69%	B

2001 Toyota Celica1 engine58.7% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	11,450	58.7%	Beats 67%	B

2000 Toyota Celica1 engine55.4% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	5,557	55.4%	Beats 55%	C

1999 Toyota Celica2 engines58.3% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	2,933	56.2%	Beats 51%	C
2.0 Petrol	1,001	64.4%	Beats 72%	B

1998 Toyota Celica2 engines58.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	2,451	55.9%	Beats 42%	C
2.0 Petrol	2,131	61.8%	Beats 63%	B

1997 Toyota Celica2 engines58.7% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
1.8 Petrol	1,790	56.8%	Beats 40%	C
2.0 Petrol	1,644	60.7%	Beats 57%	C

1996 Toyota Celica2 engines59.1% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Petrol	2,204	60.8%	Beats 56%	C
1.8 Petrol	1,220	56.1%	Beats 32%	D

1995 Toyota Celica1 engine63.1% passB

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Petrol	1,982	63.1%	Beats 61%	B

1994 Toyota Celica1 engine62.2% passC

Engine	Tests	Pass rate	Rank	Grade
2.0 Petrol	2,578	62.2%	Beats 55%	C

FAQ

What is the Toyota Celica MOT pass rate?

58.4% of MOT tests on the Toyota Celica were passed first time, based on 105,482 tests between 2018 and 2026 of cars first registered 1994–2006. A typical car of the same age and mileage passes 54.6% of the time.

Is the Toyota Celica reliable?

On MOT results it rates B (good): it passes first time more often than a typical car of the same age and mileage and does better than 63% of cars on UK roads. MOT results cover safety and emissions items, not every kind of breakdown.

Which Toyota Celica year is best?

Among years with enough data, the 2006 Celica does best for its age and mileage: it beats 70% of cars on UK roads. The 1996 does worst: it beats 47%.

What are the most common MOT failures on the Toyota Celica?

The most common failure items are headlight aim, exhaust emissions (catalyst), sidelights. Compared with similar cars, exhaust emissions (catalyst) comes up 2.1× as often.

How we calculate this. We use official MOT results for cars tested in Great Britain from 2018 to 2026. Each car is compared with typical cars of the same age and mileage, so old and new cars are judged fairly; “pts” are percentage points above or below them. Differences also reflect how cars are used and maintained, not only how they are built.

Toyota Celica reliability

Verdict

Watch these weak spots

MOT pass rate by age

Best and worst years

Engines

Where it fails

Every MOT area

Buying one or MOT due? Check these

Pass rate by mileage

Most common MOT failures

Specific defects found

Every year and engine

FAQ