MOT failures by make
Volkswagen MOT failures for “Position lamp: not working”
Volkswagen cars failed their MOT on “Position lamp: not working” in 1.73% of 6,099,386 tests in 2023–2024 (105,753 tests) — 39% less often than comparable cars of the same age, mileage and fuel, which would have failed on it in about 2.82% of tests. It is the number 5 most common failure item on Volkswagens.
Data to 2024-12-30 · Page updated 2026-09-28 · Publisher: 73 Auto
- Volkswagen tests failing on it
- 1.73%
- 105,753 of 6,099,386 tests, 2023–2024
- Comparable cars
- 2.82%
- national rate at the same age, mileage and fuel
- Observed ÷ expected
- 0.61×
- 73 Auto analysis · rank #5 for Volkswagen
How unusual this is for the make
Across all MOT failures, Volkswagens fail 6% less often than comparable cars. On this item the gap is 0.66× narrower than that overall level, so it is a genuine Volkswagen pattern rather than a reflection of how often the make fails in general. It is a major defect in the lights, reflectors and electrical part of the test. Nationally it appears on 2.57% of MOT tests.
Volkswagen models and “Position lamp: not working”
The Volkswagen T-Roc is least affected (0.13× comparable cars); the Volkswagen Bora most (1.20×). Not every model follows the make: the pattern is concentrated in some models. Model rows compare with cars of the same age and fuel.
| Model | Tests | Failed on it | vs similar cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Bora | 12,065 | 6.20% | 1.20× |
| Volkswagen Sharan | 74,314 | 2.04% | 0.97× |
| Volkswagen Polo | 1,255,982 | 2.54% | 0.93× |
| Volkswagen Scirocco | 96,318 | 2.75% | 0.87× |
| Volkswagen Fox | 54,486 | 4.77% | 0.86× |
| Volkswagen Up | 247,835 | 1.25% | 0.84× |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 91,710 | 3.17% | 0.79× |
| Volkswagen Caddy | 296,188 | 2.06% | 0.75× |
| Volkswagen Transporter | 662,911 | 2.30% | 0.75× |
| Volkswagen Lupo | 12,875 | 3.32% | 0.70× |
| Volkswagen Crafter | 13,028 | 1.79% | 0.62× |
| Volkswagen Amarok | 42,466 | 0.92% | 0.62× |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 28,746 | 2.28% | 0.54× |
| Volkswagen Touran | 151,976 | 1.90% | 0.52× |
| Volkswagen Golf | 1,817,206 | 1.34% | 0.46× |
| Volkswagen Touareg | 75,286 | 1.20% | 0.45× |
| Volkswagen Passat | 396,126 | 1.35% | 0.42× |
| Volkswagen T-Cross | 38,196 | 0.04% | 0.34× |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 460,802 | 0.50% | 0.34× |
| Volkswagen CC | 28,379 | 0.60% | 0.24× |
| Volkswagen Arteon | 14,417 | 0.05% | 0.16× |
| Volkswagen Eos | 25,996 | 0.84% | 0.16× |
| Volkswagen T-Roc | 130,619 | 0.03% | 0.13× |
By age at test
The difference is most pronounced at 9-10 years old: 1.15% of Volkswagen tests against 2.65% for comparable cars.
| Age (years) | Volkswagen tests | Volkswagen | Comparable cars |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 775,046 | 0.14% | 0.23% |
| 5-6 | 859,349 | 0.29% | 0.58% |
| 7-8 | 885,889 | 0.65% | 1.27% |
| 9-10 | 808,330 | 1.15% | 2.65% |
| 11-12 | 673,250 | 2.02% | 4.33% |
| 13-15 | 805,913 | 3.16% | 5.79% |
| 16+ | 1,030,974 | 4.64% | 5.48% |
Other Volkswagen MOT faults that stand out
- Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt · 1.82× comparable cars
- Stop lamp: not working · 0.58× comparable cars
Limitations
Official data: DVSA's anonymised MOT results (2023–2024), class 4 initial tests, cars at least 2.5 years old. 73 Auto analysis: the comparison rate applies the national rate of this item for each test's own age, mileage band and fuel to the Volkswagen tests. An MOT result reflects maintenance, mileage and how a car is used as well as its design, so this is not a measure of which make is most reliable. The wording of the defect is DVSA's.
Has this Volkswagen failed on it before?
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UK number plate or 17-character VIN
Where these figures come from
- Anonymised MOT tests and results (2023 and 2024) — Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Open Government Licence v3.0.
Figures labelled as 73 Auto estimates are our own analysis of these sources, set out in the methodology and data sources. To report a factual error, see corrections.