To study the perioperative outcomes and long-term survival rates in patients undergoing thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) for uncomplicated type B dissection. A total of 751 patients with uncomplicated type B dissection who underwent TEVAR at our centre between May 2001 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of all patients (619 males and 132 females) was 52.8 ± 10.9 years. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 170 months (median 70 months). Five patients died during the perioperative period (mortality rate 0.7%). Four patients (0.5%) developed retrograde type A dissection. Two patients (0.3%) developed paraplegia and 1 patient developed incomplete paralysis (0.1%). There were no postoperative cerebral infarctions. The 5- and 10-year survival rates were 96.5% [95% confidence interval (CI) 95.0-98.0%] and 83.0% (95% CI 77.9-88.4%), respectively. The 5- and 10-year reintervention rates were 4.6% (95% CI 3.0-6.2%) and 7.9% (95% CI 5.3-10.5%), respectively. Although the application of TEVAR for patients with uncomplicated dissection is still under debate, many patients who have undergone TEVAR have benefitted substantially from the treatment. Our data showed that TEVAR had low mortality and complication rates both in the short- and long-term follow-up periods. TEVAR may be considered as a first choice for patients with uncomplicated type B dissection. © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.