Is the Volkswagen Sharan reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Sharan is above average. It passes 74.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 119 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 Sharan?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 27.6% of failed Volkswagen Sharan 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 Sharan?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 31.1% of all Volkswagen Sharan tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 113,866 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.

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

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.7% of Volkswagen Sharan tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 52.4%. 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 Sharan models petrol or diesel?

Of the Volkswagen Sharan cars tested, 83% are diesel, 17% are petrol. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

Volkswagen Sharan MOT pass rate & common failures

From 35,048 recorded MOT tests of the Volkswagen Sharan, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The Volkswagen Sharan passes 74.2% 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 119 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 35,048 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 27.6% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 113,866 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

74.2%national average72.3%unadjusted75.7%range covered98%rank119 of 262

The Sharan is 1.9 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 75.7%; 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 Sharan tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn27.6%
1,878 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.A tyre cords visible or damaged17.2%
1,172 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements15.6%
1,060 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
4.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc9.2%
624 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.9%
604 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
6.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened8.7%
591 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged8.4%
570 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.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 repaired6.7%
458 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
9.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.6%
451 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained
10.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning6.5%
446 occurrencesLamp not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all Volkswagen Sharan 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 requirements31.1%
10,912 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn23.4%
8,203 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.8%
4,120 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
4.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm9.5%
3,323 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
5.A tyre seriously damaged7.3%
2,568 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
6.A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded5.9%
2,063 testsSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained
7.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened5.0%
1,756 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained
8.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users4.8%
1,693 tests

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs86%

6–8 yrs84%

9–11 yrs75%

12–14 yrs68%

15+ yrs52%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The Sharan fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 113,866
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel83.0%
Petrol17.0%

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.

SHARAN 1.4 TSI BLUEMOTION AUTOMATIC
SHARAN 1.4 TSI BLUEMOTION HIGHLINE DSG
SHARAN 2.0 TSI
SHARAN S TSI S-A
SHARAN SEL TDI
SHARAN SEL TDI S-A
SHARAN TDI
SHARAN TSI
SHARAN TSI HIGH LINE BLUE MOTION

Check a specific Volkswagen Sharan

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

Porsche Macan — 89.5% adjusted, ranked 2
BMW Z4 — 80.1% adjusted, ranked 53
Ford Grand C-Max — 68.6% adjusted, ranked 187
Renault Scenic — 61.8% adjusted, ranked 248

Common questions

Is the Volkswagen Sharan reliable?: On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Sharan is above average. It passes 74.2% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 119 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 Sharan?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 27.6% of failed Volkswagen Sharan 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 Sharan?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 31.1% of all Volkswagen Sharan tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a Volkswagen Sharan usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 113,866 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.
Does a Volkswagen Sharan get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 85.7% of Volkswagen Sharan tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 52.4%. 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 Sharan models petrol or diesel?: Of the Volkswagen Sharan cars tested, 83% are diesel, 17% 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.