Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate & common failures

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

The Transporter is 1.4 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is above average. The unadjusted figure is 68.2%; 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 Transporter tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1. 1.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened14.2%

   12,299 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained

2. 2.A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc10.3%

   8,926 occurrencesDriveshaft CV joint gaiter split or missing explained

3. 3.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements8.5%

   7,378 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

4. 4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.4%

   7,298 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained

5. 5.Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen7.4%

   6,380 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

6. 6.A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning7.2%

   6,206 occurrencesLamp not working explained

7. 7.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 repaired7.1%

   6,166 occurrencesSuspension mounting corroded or insecure explained

8. 8.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm6.2%

   5,403 occurrencesBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

9. 9.A tyre seriously damaged6.0%

   5,162 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

10. 10.Warning device shows system malfunction5.7%

    4,899 occurrencesBrake system warning lamp on, or not working explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

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

1. 1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements20.7%

   66,207 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained

2. 2.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured11.9%

   38,172 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained

3. 3.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded10.5%

   33,669 testsBrake pipe corroded explained

4. 4.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn10.1%

   32,269 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

5. 5.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm8.4%

   26,989 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained

6. 6.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users8.3%

   26,548 tests

7. 7.A tyre seriously damaged7.8%

   25,120 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained

8. 8.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened6.8%

   21,703 testsRoad spring broken or fractured explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

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

What gets tested

The Transporter fleet

Average mileage recorded at test

114,294

Across examples of every age, so this is a description of the fleet rather than an annual figure.

Fuel mix of tested cars

Diesel97.4%

Petrol2.5%

Compare within the range

Other Volkswagen models

• Volkswagen Golf — 78.3% adjusted
• Volkswagen Polo — 67.5% adjusted
• Volkswagen Tiguan — 77.3% adjusted
• Volkswagen Passat — 77.9% adjusted
• Volkswagen Caddy — 72.1% adjusted
• Volkswagen UP — 76.8% adjusted
• All Volkswagen models →

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

• Nissan Juke — 66.5% adjusted, ranked 210
• Ford Kuga — 75.3% adjusted, ranked 106
• Fiat 500 — 65.3% adjusted, ranked 219
• Renault Clio — 59.1% adjusted, ranked 256

Common questions

Is the Volkswagen Transporter reliable?

On MOT evidence the Volkswagen Transporter is above average. It passes 73.7% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 125 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 Transporter?

The item recorded most often is "A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened", which appears in 14.2% of failed Volkswagen Transporter 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 Transporter?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 20.7% of all Volkswagen Transporter tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

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

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 114,294 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 Transporter get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 81.9% of Volkswagen Transporter tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 57.4%. 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 Transporter models petrol or diesel?

Of the Volkswagen Transporter cars tested, 97% are diesel, 3% 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.

Further reading

Make sense of the numbers

• How to judge reliability from evidence rather than reputation
• What counts as high or low mileage for a car’s age
• The most common MOT failures and how to avoid them
• What to check before buying a used Volkswagen