Make overview
Volkswagen MOT pass rates by model
Data updated
Quick answer
Volkswagen cars pass 73.0% of MOT tests across 3,088,576 recorded tests, against a national average of 72.3%. Of the 40 Volkswagen models with MOT data, the Amarok has the highest age-adjusted pass rate at 80.1% and the Beetle the lowest at 63.4%. The item recorded most often on a failed Volkswagen is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened.
- Tests analysed
- 3,088,576
- Adjusted pass rate
- 74.4%
- Models with data
- 40
Adjusted for age and mileage
Volkswagen models ranked by pass rate
| Model | Adjusted pass rate | National rank | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Amarok | 80.1% | 52 of 262 | 19,694 |
| Volkswagen Touareg | 79.4% | 60 of 262 | 36,808 |
| Volkswagen Golf | 78.3% | 72 of 262 | 875,774 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 77.9% | 75 of 262 | 175,894 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 77.3% | 83 of 262 | 249,492 |
| Volkswagen UP | 76.8% | 88 of 262 | 127,183 |
| Volkswagen California | 76.5% | 91 of 262 | 11,722 |
| Volkswagen Touran | 75.1% | 111 of 262 | 68,285 |
| Volkswagen Crafter | 74.7% | 116 of 262 | 8,407 |
| Volkswagen Sharan | 74.2% | 119 of 262 | 35,048 |
| Volkswagen Transporter | 73.7% | 125 of 262 | 320,448 |
| Volkswagen Caravelle | 72.4% | 141 of 262 | 18,266 |
| Volkswagen Scirocco | 72.2% | 147 of 262 | 45,864 |
| Volkswagen Caddy | 72.1% | 148 of 262 | 144,867 |
| Volkswagen Jetta | 69.3% | 177 of 262 | 11,393 |
| Volkswagen Polo | 67.5% | 201 of 262 | 632,055 |
| Volkswagen Beetle | 63.4% | 237 of 262 | 40,523 |
Unadjusted, not ranked
Other Volkswagen models with MOT data
These models have at least 500 recorded tests, but their tested examples do not span enough ages and mileages to rank fairly. Their failure and advisory patterns are still drawn from real tests.
| Model | Unadjusted pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen T-Roc | 90.8% | 93,710 |
| Volkswagen T-Cross | 88.7% | 31,210 |
| Volkswagen ID3 | 89.0% | 26,011 |
| Volkswagen Fox | 50.7% | 23,316 |
| Volkswagen CC | 71.5% | 13,378 |
| Volkswagen ID4 | 87.8% | 11,285 |
| Volkswagen Eos | 63.2% | 10,826 |
| Volkswagen Arteon | 86.6% | 9,702 |
| Volkswagen E-Golf | 85.7% | 6,568 |
| Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace | 82.5% | 6,181 |
| Volkswagen Taigo | 88.8% | 6,095 |
| Volkswagen Lupo | 59.8% | 5,137 |
| Volkswagen Bora | 60.7% | 4,358 |
| Volkswagen Caddy Maxi | 80.7% | 3,096 |
| Volkswagen ID5 | 88.5% | 2,914 |
| Volkswagen E-Up | 91.7% | 2,498 |
| Volkswagen LT | 55.1% | 2,480 |
| Volkswagen Multivan | 87.2% | 2,251 |
| Volkswagen Camper | 65.3% | 1,799 |
| Volkswagen Motor Caravan | 67.4% | 1,488 |
| Volkswagen Corrado | 73.2% | 1,188 |
| Volkswagen Phaeton | 75.6% | 754 |
| Volkswagen Move UP | 80.8% | 608 |
Across the range
What Volkswagen cars fail on most
Share of failed Volkswagen tests recording each item, summed across every model above.
- 1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened13.5%
- 2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.6%
- 3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.8%
- 4.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.2%
Tyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
- 5.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc8.1%
- 6.A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage7.6%
Common questions
- What is the MOT pass rate for Volkswagen?
- Across 3,088,576 recorded MOT tests, 73.0% of Volkswagen tests ended in a pass, against a national average of 72.3%. Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the figure is 74.4%. A make-level figure blends very different cars, so the individual model pages are the more useful comparison.
- Which Volkswagen is the most reliable on MOT evidence?
- Of the Volkswagen models with enough data to compare fairly, the Amarok has the highest age-and-mileage-adjusted pass rate at 80.1%, ranking 52 of 262 models nationally. This reflects how often cars meet the MOT standard, not how often they break down.
- What do Volkswagen cars most often fail their MOT on?
- The most commonly recorded failure item across Volkswagen tests is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", appearing in 13.5% of failed tests. One failed test can list several items, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
- Why do some Volkswagen models not have a pass rate ranking?
- A model is only ranked when its tested examples cover a wide enough spread of ages and mileages for a fair comparison. 17 of the 40 Volkswagen models here qualify. For the rest we publish the unadjusted rate and the failure patterns, but not a rank, because comparing unadjusted rates mostly sorts cars by how new they are.
How to read these figures
Why the adjusted rate is the fair one
An unadjusted pass rate is strongly driven by the age and mileage of the cars being tested, not by how well they were built. A model bought mainly as a lightly used second car will look better than an identical car sold to high-mileage drivers. Adjusting for age and mileage compares each model against cars that have lived a similar life.
For a specific car, its own record beats any model average — check that vehicle’s MOT history and read what testers actually recorded against it.
Check any vehicle's MOT history
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