Pass rate
87.5%
Above average — 15.3 pts ahead of the 72.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 88 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £18–£56
2004 Toyota Camry MOT pass rate
- 2004
- typical 89,354 mi
Only 88 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Most common fault
Suspension
24.3% of faults · 21.0% nationally
mostly worn arm bushes, split ball-joint boots and broken coil springs.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 95.5% pass
- Avoid 2001 77.5% pass
Across the 10 years on record, a spread of 18 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 86.1%
- Typical mileage
- 89k mi
The 2004 Toyota Camry MOT pass rate is 87.5% of its MOT tests — 15.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.3% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Toyota Camry does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Fewer problems with tyres
Tyres are 12.2% of this car’s recorded faults, against 19.8% nationally — the mirror image of the usual story on a car of this age.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.2% and this one manages 87.5% — 15.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Failures here tend to be cheap ones. 56% of the repairs this model fails on cost under £30 in parts. The pass rate matters less than what a bad afternoon at the test centre actually costs you.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Toyota Camry? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2004 Toyota Camry compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.2%, so this figure is 15.3 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 86.1%. The median 2004 Toyota Camry in this dataset had covered 89,354 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 93.6% of the time, April–September 80.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Headlamp lens slightly defective", noted on 9.09% of tests.
- 88 recorded tests behind this page.
- 87.5% overall pass rate, 86.1% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Toyota Camry, the average is 92.3% — best year 2020 (95.5%), worst 2001 (77.5%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 88
- Typical mileage (median)
- 89,354 mi
- Make and model
- Toyota Camry
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Headlight Bulb
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Camry MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 73% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Camry
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 26 | 84.6% |
| North West | 17 | 82.4% |
| East of England | 16 | 93.8% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2004 Camry
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2004 Camry
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 9.1% of tests
“headlamp lens slightly defective”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the suspension joints 4.5% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the wipers and washers 3.4% of tests
“wipers blade defective”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2004 Camry through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £18–£56 — and 56% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £18–£56
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: emissions not tested unable to be completed
- £60–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 56%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 88 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Camry, side by side
10 model years on record, from 2000 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 77.5% to 95.5% — a spread of 18 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 77.9% linkage ball joints ball joint…
- 2001 77.5% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2002 82.4% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2003 81.0% headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2004 87.5%headlamp lens slightly defective
- 2012 93.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2019 94.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 95.5% wipers blade defective
- 2021 94.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 90.4% tread depth below requirements of…
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2004 Toyota Camry with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2004 cars with a similar record
- Porsche 911 87.2%
- BMW M3 88.2%
- Mercedes-Benz Sl 86.7%
- Honda S2000 86.7%
- Bentley Continental 89.2%
- Mercedes-Benz S-Class 83.1%
Closest pass rates among 2004 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2004 Toyota Camry 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 228 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 56 | 24.30% | 20.98% | +3.32 |
| Brakes | 52 | 22.60% | 20.89% | +1.71 |
| Tyres | 28 | 12.20% | 19.76% | −7.56 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 25 | 10.90% | 12.21% | −1.31 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 24 | 10.40% | 5.57% | +4.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 22 | 9.60% | 5.52% | +4.08 |
| Steering | 7 | 3.00% | 2.57% | +0.43 |
| Visibility | 6 | 2.60% | 4.97% | −2.37 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 5 | 2.20% | 1.76% | +0.44 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 1.30% | 4.18% | −2.88 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 9.1% | £5–25 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 5.7% | £5–20 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 4.5% | £18–45 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 3.4% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 2.3% | £18–45 |
| Emissions not tested unable to be completed Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.3% | £60–250 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 2.3% | £45–120 |
| Linkage ball joints ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.3% | £18–45 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 2.3% | £3–12 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.3% | £60–150 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 20.4% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 17.1% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 14.8% | £200–700 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 13.6% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 12.5% | £40–150 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 11.4% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 19 | 84.2% | 47,561 mi |
| 60-90k | 26 | 96.2% | 72,788 mi |
| 90-120k | 22 | 81.8% | 104,076 mi |
| 120k+ | 21 | 85.7% | 136,270 mi |
Source: 88 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2004 Camry MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2004 Toyota Camry?
87.5% of the 88 2004 Toyota Camry tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.2% for cars first used in 2004. First-attempt pass rate: 86.1%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2004 Toyota Camry?
The three most recorded items are headlamp lens slightly defective (9.09%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.68%), linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (4.55%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2004 Toyota Camry MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.2% of the time, falling to 85.7% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2004 Toyota Camry in this dataset had covered 89,354 mi.
Does the season affect the 2004 Toyota Camry MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 93.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 80.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.