Where each one leads
Pontiac Sunfire
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Toyota Celica
- Against cars of the same year, the Toyota Celica comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 33% more often than average) than the Pontiac Sunfire (fails 52% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2005 Toyota Celica uses 8.5 l/100 km, the 2005 Pontiac Sunfire 9.3.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Pontiac Sunfire | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1985–2005 | 1981–2006 |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 7,198 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 2,581 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 668 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Pontiac Sunfire | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 61% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 3.1% | 2.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | +52% | +33% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 10.2% |
| US owner complaints | 1,144 | 413 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 1996 (201) | 2000 (106) |
| US recall campaigns | 17 | 7 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 3,045 | 1,115 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 14 | 12 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Pontiac Sunfire | Toyota Celica | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.3 l/100 km (2005) | 8.5 l/100 km (2005) |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €39,253 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 247,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).