MOT performance

Volkswagen MOT pass rates and common failures

Across 6,099,386 MOT tests of Volkswagen cars in 2023–2024, 72.1% passed first time. Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, Volkswagens failed 6% less often than comparable cars. Of the 25 Volkswagen models with enough tests, the Volkswagen T-Roc failed least often relative to comparable cars.

6,099,386 MOT tests on 3,191,217 vehicles, 2023–2024 · Source: DVSA (Open Government Licence) · Analysis: 73 Auto

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At a glance

Volkswagen MOT results at a glance
Figure	Value	Basis
First-time pass rate	72.1%	±0 pts (95%), n = 6,099,386
Failures vs similar cars	0.94×	same age, mileage and fuel = 1.00
Tests with a dangerous defect	7.5%	n = 6,099,386
Average age at test	10 years	n = 6,099,386

Volkswagen models

Every Volkswagen model with at least 10,000 tests, most-tested first.

Volkswagen MOT results by model
Model	Tests	First-time pass rate	Failures vs similar cars
Volkswagen Golf	1,817,206	73.9%	0.83×
Volkswagen Polo	1,255,982	67.0%	1.12×
Volkswagen Transporter	662,911	68.1%	0.99×
Volkswagen Tiguan	460,802	82.2%	0.79×
Volkswagen Passat	396,126	70.8%	0.85×
Volkswagen Caddy	296,188	68.5%	1.00×
Volkswagen Up	247,835	80.7%	0.87×
Volkswagen Touran	151,976	67.2%	0.94×
Volkswagen T-Roc	130,619	91.0%	0.65×
Volkswagen Scirocco	96,318	69.4%	0.92×
Volkswagen Beetle	91,710	58.2%	1.17×
Volkswagen Touareg	75,286	76.2%	0.79×
Volkswagen Sharan	74,314	75.0%	0.87×
Volkswagen Fox	54,486	52.1%	1.19×
Volkswagen Amarok	42,466	77.1%	0.87×
Volkswagen T-Cross	38,196	89.6%	0.90×
Volkswagen Jetta	28,746	64.6%	0.95×
Volkswagen CC	28,379	73.3%	0.85×
Volkswagen Eos	25,996	64.6%	0.89×
Volkswagen ID.3	19,706	90.4%	0.77×
Volkswagen Arteon	14,417	86.6%	0.80×
Volkswagen E-Golf	13,089	86.4%	0.97×
Volkswagen Crafter	13,028	70.2%	0.93×
Volkswagen Lupo	12,875	59.8%	1.01×
Volkswagen Bora	12,065	58.0%	0.95×

Where Volkswagens fail

Volkswagen MOT failures by area
Area	Tests failed on it	vs similar cars
Lights, reflectors and electrical	9.8%	-18%
Suspension	9.6%	-1%
Brakes	6.8%	-9%
Tyres	6.5%	-2%
Driver's view of the road	4.3%	-11%
Body, chassis and structure	4.0%	Same
Noise, emissions and leaks	3.7%	+10%
Steering	1.5%	-31%
Seat belts and airbags	1.3%	+6%
Registration plates and VIN	0.4%	-5%
Road wheels	0.3%	-18%
Speedometer and driving controls	0.0%	-10%

Most common failure items

Most common Volkswagen MOT failure items
Item	Area	Share of tests
Coil spring: fractured or broken	Suspension	2.55%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm	Tyres	2.40%
Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn	Suspension	1.84%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Body, chassis and structure	1.77%
Position lamp: not working	Lights, reflectors and electrical	1.73%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively	Driver's view of the road	1.65%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick	Brakes	1.61%
Condition: has ply or cords exposed	Tyres	1.61%
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt	Suspension	1.35%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	Driver's view of the road	1.35%

Pass rate by age

Volkswagen MOT pass rate by age at test
Age at test (years)	Tests	First-time pass rate	Failures vs similar cars
3-4	775,046	87.4%	-13%
5-6	859,349	83.0%	-10%
7-8	885,889	78.7%	-14%
9-10	808,330	72.8%	-14%
11-12	673,250	65.8%	-8%
13-15	805,913	59.5%	-4%
16+	1,030,974	55.0%	+4%

MOT failures where Volkswagen stands out

Individual failure items that Volkswagens record clearly more or less often than cars of the same age, mileage and fuel. All Volkswagen MOT failure patterns.

Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt · 1.82× comparable cars
Position lamp: not working · 0.61× comparable cars
Stop lamp: not working · 0.58× comparable cars

Check a specific Volkswagen

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UK number plate or 17-character VIN

About this data. These are MOT test results, not a measure of mechanical reliability: a car's MOT outcome reflects its condition on the day, which depends on how it has been maintained and driven as well as how it was built. Figures cover class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans), normal tests only (retests excluded), outcomes pass, fail and pass after rectification at the station; vehicles at least 2.5 years old at test. Tests from 2023-01-01 to 2024-12-30. “Compared with similar cars” means compared with the national rate for cars of the same age, mileage band and fuel. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Makes and models are matched to 73 Auto's vehicle catalogue; tests that can't be matched are left out rather than guessed. See how the MOT figures are produced.