Is the Volkswagen Jetta reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Jetta is below average. It passes 69.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 76% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. 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 Jetta?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 22.9% of failed Volkswagen Jetta 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 Jetta?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.7% of all Volkswagen Jetta tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 113,596 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 Jetta years are the most reliable?

Going by MOT pass rate, Volkswagen Jetta cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 77.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 61.3%. 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 Jetta get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 77.1% of Volkswagen Jetta tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 61.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most Volkswagen Jetta models petrol or diesel?

Of the Volkswagen Jetta cars tested, 82% are diesel, 18% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate & common failures

From 11,393 recorded MOT tests of the Volkswagen Jetta, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Volkswagen Jetta passes 69.3% 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 below average. Based on 11,393 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, which appears in 22.9% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 113,596 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

69.3%national average72.3%unadjusted64.9%range covered76%

The Jetta is 3.0 percentage points below the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is below average. The unadjusted figure is 64.9%; 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 Jetta tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened22.9%
769 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn16.9%
567 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc12.1%
405 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
4.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements11.2%
376 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
5.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.3%
346 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
6.A tyre cords visible or damaged8.4%
282 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
7.The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements8.1%
273 occurrencesHeadlamp aim incorrect explained
8.Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement7.6%
255 occurrencesParking brake efficiency too low explained
9.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired6.8%
227 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
10.The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired6.5%
217 occurrencesSeat belt anchorage corroded or weakened explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements28.7%
3,270 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn20.5%
2,333 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured17.2%
1,959 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened13.1%
1,487 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged11.0%
1,253 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded9.9%
1,125 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users7.8%
883 tests
8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm7.5%
860 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

The rest of the record

Everything else recorded on the Volkswagen Jetta

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.

Known faults

Volkswagen Jetta common problems, by part and by year

The same failure record read the way a buyer asks the question: which parts wear out on a Jetta, when they start, and how each registration year compares — including the steps that mark a generation change.

Jetta common problems and results by year

How wear changes the picture

Jetta pass rate by age and registration year

How often the Volkswagen Jetta passes at each age, with the years those cars were first registered. Tests are from 2025, so a car aged 6 to 8 was first used in 2017–2019.

6–8 yrsreg. 2017–201977%

9–11 yrsreg. 2014–201670%

12–14 yrsreg. 2011–201365%

15+ yrsreg. 2010 and earlier61%

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 Jetta 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 Jetta fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 113,596
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel82.2%
Petrol17.8%

Trim names grouped into this model (2)

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

JETTA GT BLUEMOTION TECH
JETTA TDI

Check a specific Volkswagen Jetta

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

Toyota Alphard — 75.4% adjusted, ranked 102
Mitsubishi Mirage — 77.3% adjusted, ranked 82
Audi A8 — 88.6% adjusted, ranked 6
Tesla Model S — 81.5% adjusted, ranked 43

Common questions

Is the Volkswagen Jetta reliable?: On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Jetta is below average. It passes 69.3% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%. That figure covers 76% of the national age and mileage range, which is enough to quote but not to rank. 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 Jetta?: The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 22.9% of failed Volkswagen Jetta 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 Jetta?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 28.7% of all Volkswagen Jetta tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Volkswagen Jetta usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 113,596 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 Jetta years are the most reliable?: Going by MOT pass rate, Volkswagen Jetta cars first registered 2017–2019 do best at 77.1%, and those registered 2010 and earlier do worst at 61.3%. 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 Jetta get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 6 to 8 years old, 77.1% of Volkswagen Jetta tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 61.3%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most Volkswagen Jetta models petrol or diesel?: Of the Volkswagen Jetta cars tested, 82% are diesel, 18% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

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.