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Toyota Century Reliability, MOT Pass Rate & Common Faults

Free Toyota Century car check

Is the Toyota Century reliable? We analysed 342 real MOT tests across 101 vehicles to find out.

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Data last updated: · Based on 342 real MOT tests
MOT Pass Rate
82.7%
Typical Mileage
120,575mi
Annual Mileage
2,428mi/yr
Est. Lifespan
yrs

The Toyota Century is above average for reliability based on real UK MOT data. Common problems include windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively, tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm and windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid. Here's everything you need to know before buying a used Toyota Century.

Toyota Century Number Plates

Number plates registered to a Toyota Century. Click on any registration for full vehicle details — including MOT history, mileage records, previous owners and damage history.

Toyota Century Problems — What Goes Wrong?

The most common reasons a Toyota Century fails its MOT, ranked by how often they occur. Check for these problems before you buy.

Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively 5
Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 4
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid 3

Toyota Century Mileage — What's Normal?

How many miles does a typical Toyota Century owner drive per year? Use this to check if a car you're looking at has suspiciously low or high mileage.

Low usage
418 mi/yr
Typical
2,428 mi/yr
Average
3,239 mi/yr
Heavy usage
5,315 mi/yr

Toyota Century Mileage Distribution

Total mileage recorded across all Toyota Century MOT tests. If the car you're looking at is above the 75th percentile, it's done more miles than most.

Median
120,575 mi
75th Percentile
181,846 mi
95th Percentile
248,091 mi
Max Recorded
968,870 mi

How Does the Toyota Century Compare?

MOT pass rates compared to similar models. Click any model for the full breakdown.

Model Pass Rate Tests Typical Mileage Lifespan
Toyota Century THIS CAR 82.7% 342 120,575 mi — yrs
Toyota Yaris 77.7% 9,038,234 54,896 mi 27 yrs
Toyota Corolla 75.4% 4,239,724 75,409 mi 36 yrs
Toyota Avensis 75% 3,497,866 89,776 mi 28 yrs
Vauxhall Mokka Exclusiv Turbo S/s 90.7% 538 50,842 mi — yrs

Compared to the Toyota Yaris (77.7% pass rate) and the Toyota Corolla (75.4% pass rate), the Toyota Century outperforms both on MOT reliability.

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Should you buy a used Toyota Century?

The Toyota Century has an overall MOT pass rate of 82.7% across 342 real MOT tests — comfortably above the UK average, which puts it among the more reliable models on UK roads.

The most common problems on the Toyota Century are windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (5 recorded failures), tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (4), and windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3). These are the faults most likely to cause an MOT failure on this model, so check for them carefully on any test drive or pre-purchase inspection. Many are wear-and-tear items that can be budgeted for, but a car that's already failing on multiple fronts may signal neglected maintenance.

A typical Toyota Century owner drives around 2,428 miles per year. If the car you're looking at is significantly above this, expect more wear on suspension, brakes and tyres. If it's well below, the vehicle may have been sitting unused — check for perished rubber, corroded discs and stale fluids.

Before committing to a purchase, we recommend running a full vehicle history check on the specific car. This will reveal any outstanding finance, stolen markers, write-off history and mileage discrepancies that the seller may not disclose — and that the MOT data alone can't tell you.

Toyota Century — Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Toyota Century reliable?
Based on 342 MOT tests, the Toyota Century has a 82.7% pass rate — above the UK average, suggesting good reliability.
What are the common problems on a Toyota Century?
The most common MOT failures are windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively, tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid. Check these on any test drive.
How many miles does a Toyota Century do per year?
The typical Toyota Century does around 2,428 miles per year. Anything significantly above or below this is worth investigating.
How long does a Toyota Century last?
Lifespan data is not yet available for this model.
Should I get a vehicle check before buying a Toyota Century?
Yes. An MOT pass rate tells you about the model in general, but a vehicle history check reveals the specific car's finance, stolen, write-off and mileage history — things the seller may not disclose.