Is the Volkswagen Crafter reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Crafter is above average. It passes 74.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 116 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a Volkswagen Crafter?

The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 22.9% of failed Volkswagen Crafter tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a Volkswagen Crafter?

The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 24.3% of all Volkswagen Crafter tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a Volkswagen Crafter usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 111,408 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Which Volkswagen Crafter years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Volkswagen Crafter cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 84.0%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 62.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.

Does a Volkswagen Crafter get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.0% of Volkswagen Crafter tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 62.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Model reliability file

Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate & common failures

From 8,407 recorded MOT tests of the Volkswagen Crafter, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Volkswagen Crafter passes 74.7% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is above average, ranking it 116 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 8,407 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, which appears in 22.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 111,408 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

74.7%national average72.3%unadjusted71.6%range covered92%rank116 of 262

The Crafter is 2.4 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 71.6%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed Volkswagen Crafter tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement22.9%
458 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
2.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded15.2%
303 occurrencesBrake pipe corroded explained
3.Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction10.2%
204 occurrencesEngine management light on, or not working explained
4.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen8.2%
163 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained
5.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play7.6%
152 occurrencesBall joint worn explained
6.Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake7.6%
152 occurrencesBrake binding or imbalanced across an axle explained
7.Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value6.7%
133 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
8.An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction6.3%
126 occurrencesAirbag warning lamp on, or airbag missing explained
9.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn6.0%
121 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
10.An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning5.3%
106 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Volkswagen Crafter tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded24.3%
2,046 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured16.2%
1,360 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements10.5%
882 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users9.9%
830 tests
5.Play in steering rack inner joint(s)9.8%
820 tests
6.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn9.6%
806 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged6.1%
515 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play3.9%
327 testsBall joint worn explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Volkswagen Crafter

The 18 other defects testers recorded on this model, beyond the most common listed above. Each links to what it means and what it takes to put right.

How wear changes the picture

Crafter pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Volkswagen Crafter passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 3 to 5 was first used in 2020–2022.

3–5 yrsreg. 2020–202284%

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201979%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201670%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201365%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier62%

Read this as an age curve rather than a verdict on particular model years. Nearly every car passes less often as it gets older, so a newer Crafter outscoring an older one says more about wear than about how that year’s cars were built. Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Crafter fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 111,408
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel100.0%

Trim names grouped into this model (9)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

CRAFTER CR35 COMMERCE + TDI
CRAFTER CR35 COMMERCE TDI
CRAFTER CR35 COMMERCE TDI AUTO
CRAFTER CR35 MOTOR CARAVAN
CRAFTER CR35 STARTLINE TDI
CRAFTER CR35 TRENDLINE TDI
CRAFTER CR35 TRENDLINE TDI MOTORHOME
CRAFTER CR40 STARTLINE TDI A
CRAFTER MOTORHOME

Check a specific Volkswagen Crafter

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other Volkswagen models

Volkswagen Golf — 78.3% adjusted
Volkswagen Polo — 67.5% adjusted
Volkswagen Transporter — 73.7% adjusted
Volkswagen Tiguan — 77.3% adjusted
Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted
Volkswagen Caddy — 72.1% adjusted
All Volkswagen models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Ssangyong Korando — 65.9% adjusted, ranked 213
Peugeot Horizon — 67.3% adjusted, ranked 205
Fiat Fiorino — 62.2% adjusted, ranked 243
Hyundai I800 — 61.1% adjusted, ranked 250

Common questions

Is the Volkswagen Crafter reliable?: On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Crafter is above average. It passes 74.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 116 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a Volkswagen Crafter?: The item recorded most often is "Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement", which appears in 22.9% of failed Volkswagen Crafter tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a Volkswagen Crafter?: The most common advisory is "Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded", noted on 24.3% of all Volkswagen Crafter tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Volkswagen Crafter usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 111,408 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Which Volkswagen Crafter years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Volkswagen Crafter cars first registered 2020–2022 do best at 84.0%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 62.0%. But that ordering is mostly age, not build year: almost every model passes less often as it wears, so the newest cars top this list whatever they are. A specific year looking strong here means little on its own; the failure items above, and the individual car's own MOT history, tell you far more.
Does a Volkswagen Crafter get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 84.0% of Volkswagen Crafter tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 62.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.