MOT fail rates by first-use year

2018 Volkswagen Amarok MOT fail rate and common faults

How Volkswagen Amarok cars first used in 2018 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 10,930 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 7 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 7 (n=2,544)19.5%

All cars at 7 years (n=10,537,318)20.6%

Difference−1.1 pts

MOT tests of 2018 cars, 2022 to 202510,930

What stands out

In 2025, at 7 years old, Volkswagen Amarok cars first used in 2018 failed 19.5% of MOTs (2,544 tests), 1.1 points below the 20.6% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 4 to 7 years old, the fail rate moved from 14.7% to 19.5%.
Volkswagen Amarok cars first used a year earlier, in 2017, failed 23.1% at the same age of 7 years (2,196 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Volkswagen Amarok at 7 years, is engine warning lamp at the diesel emissions check: not working or showing a fault, at 2.3 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 0.6).

MOT fail rate by test year

Volkswagen Amarok cars first used in 2018: share of MOT tests that failed, by test year, against all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Test year	Age	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars	Difference
2022	4 years	14.7%	2,897	13.4%	+1.4 pts
2023	5 years	17.9%	2,771	15.3%	+2.6 pts
2024	6 years	19.6%	2,718	17.8%	+1.8 pts
2025	7 years	19.5%	2,544	20.6%	−1.1 pts

Most common faults at 7 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Amarok MOTs at 7 years: cars first used 2015 to 2018, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=10,206). The list uses every first-use year so it has enough tests. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

MOT fail items

Fail item	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Engine warning lamp at the diesel emissions check: not working or showing a fault	2.3	0.6
Brake pads under 1.5 mm Wear	2.1	2.0
Handbrake too weak	1.7	0.4
Shock absorber leaking	1.6	0.5
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn	1.4	0.0
Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side	1.4	0.2
Service brake performance: excessively binding	1.4	0.2
Brake light not working Wear	1.1	0.9
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	1.1	2.2
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Wear	1.0	0.6

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=10,206). A test with two items counts once for each.

Advisories

Advisory	Per 100 MOTs	All cars
Tyre tread close to the legal limit or worn on the edge Wear	11.6	15.0
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	7.2	9.0
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	5.1	1.4
Shock absorber misting oil	4.1	2.4
Windscreen: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view	4.0	1.9
Anti-roll bar pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	3.9	0.2
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	3.4	8.0
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	2.5	1.4
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	2.2	8.9
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	1.9	2.6

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=10,206). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 7 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Amarok MOTs at 7 years: cars first used 2015 to 2018, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=10,206). Each fuel is set against all cars of the same fuel and age. Fuels with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Fuel	Share of tests	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars, same fuel	Median mileage
Diesel	100.0%	21.6%	10,206	22.1%	80,910 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 7 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Amarok MOTs at 7 years: cars first used 2015 to 2018, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=10,206). At 7 years, Volkswagen Amarok cars at 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed more often (25.0%, n=2,432) than those at 30,000 to 60,000 miles (15.7%, n=2,192). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
30,000 to 60,000 miles	15.7%	2,192	19.2%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	20.8%	3,761	24.2%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	25.0%	2,432	28.0%

Car tax rules for a 2018 car

Cars first registered from 1 April 2017 pay a first-year rate set by CO2 emissions, then the standard rate each year. A petrol, diesel or hybrid car with a list price over £40,000 also pays the expensive car supplement for five years, from the second tax payment.

These are the rules, not the amount for a specific car. Car tax check

ULEZ and clean air zones

Diesel cars first registered from September 2015 usually meet Euro 6, the diesel standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
The clean air zones in Birmingham and Bristol use the same Euro 4 petrol and Euro 6 diesel standards. The low emission zones in Scotland use them too, but enforce them with fines, not a daily charge.

The Euro standard of the car decides, not the year alone. ULEZ checker

Other years of the Volkswagen Amarok

2017 Volkswagen Amarok 2019 Volkswagen Amarok

Other Volkswagen models first used in 2018

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Volkswagen Golf (2018)	7 years in 2025	13.8%	61,626	20.6%
Volkswagen Polo (2018)	7 years in 2025	25.0%	43,887	20.6%
Volkswagen Tiguan (2018)	7 years in 2025	14.5%	29,359	20.6%
Volkswagen T-Roc (2018)	7 years in 2025	10.8%	15,874	20.6%
Volkswagen up! (2018)	7 years in 2025	15.2%	12,914	20.6%
Volkswagen Passat (2018)	7 years in 2025	15.8%	10,830	20.6%
Volkswagen Touran (2018)	7 years in 2025	18.7%	3,775	20.6%
Volkswagen Sharan (2018)	7 years in 2025	15.9%	3,316	20.6%

More on the Volkswagen Amarok

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

Found one you might buy? Vet the specific car.

These figures describe 2018 Volkswagen Amarok cars as a group, not any one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at the car you are buying: its MOT history, what similar cars did next, and what to ask the seller.

See an example Buying Report All car tools

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources

Car tax and clean air zone rules are summarised from GOV.UK and Transport for London guidance. They are general rules and are not drawn from the MOT data.