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Toyota Corolla Reliability by Year

Every gasoline Corolla model year from 2004 to 2025, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Compact Passenger Car of the same year.

Scored separately as its own vehicle: Corolla Hybrid (2020–2025).

The short answer

Best model year
2012
#3 of 41 that year
Year to avoid
2009
#19 of 32 that year
Latest scored
2025
#6 of 18

Across 22 scored model years the Corolla needs fixing less often than its class, and repairs cost about what you would expect. The spread between years is what matters: 2012 is its strongest, 2009 its weakest.

Every model year, scored

Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Compact Passenger Car sold that same model year.

YearRelative standingClass rankPctl
2004#11 /2964th
2005#21 /3133th
2006#10 /3170th
2007#7 /3381th
2008#4 /3691th
2009#19 /3242thAvoid
2010#18 /3041th
2011#11 /3268th
2012#3 /4195thBest year
2013#4 /4393th
2014#4 /4193th
2015#4 /3992th
2016#2 /3897th
2017#5 /4190th
2018#4 /3591th
2019#8 /3479th
2020#17 /2738th
2021#9 /2567th
2022#6 /2982th
2023#9 /2262th
2024#8 /2267th
2025#6 /1871th

The line has moved around across 22 model years, with its weakest stretch in 2009–2010. This 2025 car falls in a strong stretch.

What tends to break

All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.

Every Corolla model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Compact Passenger Car of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.

Across the last three model years (2023–2025), no single system stands out. All measured systems draw issue reports less often than the same systems on the average Compact Passenger Car of their year — a cleaner sheet than most of this class manages.

Full Dashboard Preview

Real charts, sample vehicle. Open the lookup to see these for your Corolla.

Reliability Matrix Sample Chart

2018 Mid-Size SUVs

Your Corolla is plotted against 18 rivals from 2025.

Look up your Corolla →
better than classtypicalworsebubble = units sold

System Breakdown Sample Chart

2018 Mitsubishi Outlander

Your Corolla is scored the same way, for every model year.

Look up your Corolla →
below class averageabove class average

Common questions

What is the best year for a used Toyota Corolla?

2012 is the strongest Corolla model year on record, ranking #3 of 41 Compact Passenger Cars that year.

Which Toyota Corolla years should I avoid?

2009 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #19 of 32.

Is the latest Corolla reliable?

The 2025 Corolla ranks #6 of 18 Compact Passenger Cars — the upper half of its class.

Where does this data come from?

Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.

See the full picture for your Corolla

All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.

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How this was built. Scores derive from failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes and benchmarked within segment and model year. We measure two separate things: Fix Frequency — how often a vehicle needs fixing — and Fix Severity — how costly those fixes are. These figures describe a model line, not the specific vehicle in front of you; trim, mileage and service history still decide an individual car.