Which year Toyota Corolla is most reliable?

Based on 347,773 vehicles (1980–2022) and millions of DVLA MOT records.

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Not just "newer is more reliable"

These rankings compare each year at the same mileage point — a 2003 Corolla at 80,000 miles is judged against a 2014 Corolla at 80,000 miles, not its full lifetime average. Verdicts are also relative to this model's own average, not a universal scale. That's the difference between "old cars wear out" and "this year is genuinely more or less reliable."

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Years to look for

2001, 2005–2006, 2010, 2019–2022

Above-average pass rate — these years consistently do better than other Corollas

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Below model average

1980–1992

Lower pass rate than other Corollas — worth checking the MOT history before buying

See common failures for 1981 →

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Dataset

347,773

vehicles · 1980–2022 · millions of MOT records

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CarHunch sweet spot — 1997–2010, 2019

These years hit the reliability-to-value sweet spot: a 73.2–91.5% pass rate, well above this model's median, but old enough to have depreciated significantly from peak price. If budget matters alongside reliability, start your search here.

Pass rate by year

Year	Pass rate	Vehicles
2022	94.4%	535	Recommended
2021	94.2%	665	Recommended
2020	92.9%	1,651	Recommended
2019	91.5%	14,363	Recommended
2010	78.6%	149	Recommended
2009	77.7%	2,024
2008	77.7%	5,925
2007	78.0%	9,524
2006	79.0%	26,817	Recommended
2005	78.6%	30,896	Recommended
2004	78.0%	25,786
2003	78.1%	24,692
2002	77.9%	23,443
2001	78.7%	16,732	Recommended
2000	77.5%	16,253
1999	74.5%	18,676
1998	73.8%	20,435
1997	73.2%	12,895
1996	72.0%	9,693
1995	70.3%	9,558
1994	69.5%	11,699
1993	68.3%	13,718
1992	65.8%	9,576	Below avg
1991	62.4%	6,656	Below avg
1990	62.0%	5,967	Below avg
1989	60.8%	4,088	Below avg
1988	55.8%	2,796	Below avg
1987	59.9%	1,760	Below avg
1986	60.0%	1,111	Below avg
1985	59.7%	878	Below avg
1984	59.2%	457	Below avg
1983	3.2%	3,015	Below avg
1982	0.7%	3,749	Below avg
1981	0.5%	5,673	Below avg
1980	0.8%	5,918	Below avg

Click any year to see full MOT history, common faults and comparisons for those cars. Verdicts are relative to this model's own average — a good Land Rover year is judged differently from a good Toyota year.

How each year holds up at higher mileage

Each line is a different model year. The mileage ranges are divided into 5 equal groups based on how this model is actually driven in the real world — so you're comparing like-for-like, not arbitrary round numbers.

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At high mileage (106k–+), the 2022 models maintain a 86% pass rate — 14 points higher than 1983 models at the same mileage.

Only years with enough data across at least 3 mileage ranges are shown. Newer years appear in blue; older years in amber.

How is this measured?

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What "pass rate" means

The percentage of all MOT tests that resulted in a pass — counted across a car's whole life, not just its first test. Higher means fewer failures over time.

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Mileage groups built from real data

We split this model's real-world mileage history into 5 equal groups — so each slice contains the same number of cars, not an arbitrary round number like "0–30,000 miles."

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Does age still matter?

Yes. A low-mileage 20-year-old car has still had 20 years of weather, perishing rubber, and ageing electrics. Comparing at the same mileage narrows the gap between old and new — but doesn't erase it entirely.

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Why this beats surveys

Our figures come from the DVLA's national MOT database — over 50 million real test results from accredited garages, with no opinions involved. Most reliability guides are based on owner surveys with a few hundred responses per model.

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