MOT performance
Volkswagen Golf hybrid: MOT pass rate and common failures
Of 34,817 MOT tests on hybrid Volkswagen Golfs in 2023–2024 (on average 4.2 years old at test, median 38,326 miles), 87.7% passed first time, against 77.0% of 895,620 petrol Volkswagen Golf tests. Allowing for age, mileage and fuel, hybrid Volkswagen Golfs failed 5% less often than comparable cars — 0.95× against 0.83× for the Volkswagen Golf as a whole.
34,817 MOT tests on 20,559 vehicles, 2023–2024 · Source: DVSA (Open Government Licence) · Analysis: 73 Auto
Check a specific car's MOT history and running costsAt a glance
| Figure | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| First-time pass rate | 87.7% | ±0.3 pts (95%), n = 34,817 |
| All Volkswagen Golfs | 73.9% | n = 1,817,206 |
| Failures vs similar cars | 0.95× | same age, mileage and fuel = 1.00; Volkswagen Golf overall 0.83× |
| Tests with a dangerous defect | 5.3% | n = 34,817 |
| Average age at test | 4.2 years | n = 34,817 |
| Registration years covered | 2010–2022 | DVSA first-use date |
Hybrid against the other Volkswagen Golf fuels
Official DVSA test results by fuel, with 73 Auto's adjusted ratio (failures against cars of the same age, mileage and fuel). The hybrid cars were tested 6 years younger on average than the petrol ones, so the raw pass rates partly reflect age; the adjusted column doesn't.
| Fuel | Tests | Average age | First-time pass | vs similar cars | Dangerous |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 895,620 | 10.2 yrs | 77.0% | -22% | 6.4% |
| Diesel | 885,138 | 11 yrs | 70.2% | -12% | 9.2% |
| Hybrid | 34,817 | 4.2 yrs | 87.7% | -5% | 5.3% |
| Electric | 1,629 | 5.4 yrs | 85.1% | -24% | 7.2% |
Where hybrid Volkswagen Golfs differ
- Seat belts and airbags: hybrid Volkswagen Golfs failed 77% more often than the Volkswagen Golf overall, relative to comparable cars (1.75× vs 0.99×).
- Suspension: hybrid Volkswagen Golfs failed 73% more often than the Volkswagen Golf overall, relative to comparable cars (1.51× vs 0.88×).
- Road wheels: hybrid Volkswagen Golfs failed 61% more often than the Volkswagen Golf overall, relative to comparable cars (1.43× vs 0.89×).
- Lights, reflectors and electrical: hybrid Volkswagen Golfs failed 44% less often than the Volkswagen Golf overall, relative to comparable cars (0.38× vs 0.68×).
| Area | Hybrid (vs similar) | All Volkswagen Golfs (vs similar) |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 7.3% (+37%) | 6.7% (-2%) |
| Driver's view of the road | 1.8% (-38%) | 3.4% (-34%) |
| Suspension | 1.7% (+51%) | 9.2% (-12%) |
| Lights, reflectors and electrical | 1.3% (-62%) | 8.6% (-32%) |
| Brakes | 1.0% (-35%) | 6.5% (-18%) |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.4% (+32%) | 3.5% (-6%) |
| Seat belts and airbags | 0.3% (+75%) | 1.3% (-1%) |
Most common hybrid Volkswagen Golf failure items
1 of these 5 items is not among the Volkswagen Golf's ten most common failures overall.
| Item | Area | Share of tests |
|---|---|---|
| Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 2.41% |
| Condition: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 2.23% |
| Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 1.49% |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 1.31% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Driver's view of the road | 1.08% |
Pass rate by age, by fuel
| Age at test (years) | hybrid pass rate (tests) | petrol pass rate (tests) | diesel pass rate (tests) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 | 89.5% (10,405) | 90.6% (135,436) | 87.0% (43,953) |
| 5-6 | 85.1% (8,866) | 88.0% (153,312) | 84.9% (88,889) |
| 7-8 | 82.1% (5,170) | 86.1% (117,114) | 82.1% (140,400) |
| 9-10 | 82.3% (412) | 81.3% (82,561) | 75.8% (152,324) |
| 11-12 | — | 71.5% (64,229) | 66.0% (141,797) |
| 13-15 | — | 64.4% (109,014) | 59.8% (162,424) |
| 16+ | — | 58.4% (198,967) | 53.8% (147,062) |
Volkswagen Golf by registration year
Registration-year pages cover every fuel of that year.
- 1989 Volkswagen Golf · 70.8%
- 1990 Volkswagen Golf · 69.4%
- 1991 Volkswagen Golf · 72.1%
- 1997 Volkswagen Golf · 64.8%
- 1998 Volkswagen Golf · 58.3%
- 1999 Volkswagen Golf · 55.8%
- 2000 Volkswagen Golf · 56.4%
- 2001 Volkswagen Golf · 55.8%
- 2002 Volkswagen Golf · 56.2%
- 2003 Volkswagen Golf · 56.7%
- 2004 Volkswagen Golf · 50.8%
- 2005 Volkswagen Golf · 53.9%
- 2006 Volkswagen Golf · 54.4%
- 2007 Volkswagen Golf · 57.6%
- 2008 Volkswagen Golf · 59.7%
- 2009 Volkswagen Golf · 62.8%
- 2010 Volkswagen Golf · 62.9%
- 2011 Volkswagen Golf · 65.3%
- 2012 Volkswagen Golf · 69.3%
- 2013 Volkswagen Golf · 76.7%
- 2014 Volkswagen Golf · 79.9%
- 2015 Volkswagen Golf · 83.2%
- 2016 Volkswagen Golf · 85.5%
- 2017 Volkswagen Golf · 86.3%
- 2018 Volkswagen Golf · 87.6%
- 2019 Volkswagen Golf · 89.0%
- 2020 Volkswagen Golf · 91.0%
- 2021 Volkswagen Golf · 90.1%
What this does and doesn't tell you
Fuel is DVSA's recorded fuel type; plug-in and self-charging hybrids are grouped as hybrid. A difference between fuels can come from the engines themselves, or from how the cars are used — diesels typically cover more miles, and the adjusted ratio allows for mileage band but not for every difference in use. For one car, its own MOT history is the better guide: see MOT check.
Check a specific hybrid Volkswagen Golf
Enter a UK registration to see that car's own MOT history and what it is likely to cost to own. Your first check is free and shows the vehicle summary and its headline ownership cost. The category-by-category breakdown is part of a paid check.
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.