MOT data

Volkswagen Caravelle MOT fail rate by age and year

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 59,973 MOT tests · Updated 7 Oct 2026

At 6 years, 20.2% of Volkswagen Caravelle MOT tests ended in a fail (adjusted to typical mileage), against 17.9% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6 (3,518 MOT tests) ^[1].

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Suspension: fails 2.5–3.1× as often as cars the same age at 6 years, 280 of 3,518 MOT tests
Mileage: median 53,661 miles at 6 years against 44,951 for all class 4 vehicles, 3,518 MOT tests
Before the mileage adjustment: 21.1% of MOT tests at 6 years ended in a fail, 3,518 MOT tests

Which engine and year a car has decides which of these apply. Check the reg first.

Figures are for the model, not one car, and compare with all class 4 vehicles tested at 6 in the same test year.

Fail rate at 6 years, typical mileage: 20.2%; vs 17.9% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6; 3,518 MOT tests
Fail rate at 6 years, raw: 21.1%; vs 17.9% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6; 3,518 MOT tests
Median mileage at 6 years: 53,661 mi; vs 44,951 mi for all class 4 vehicles; 3,518 MOT tests

Volkswagen Caravelle MOT fail rate by age

Each line follows the cars first used in one year across the ages they were tested at from 2022 to 2025, so a line never mixes a 2005 car with a 2015 one. 60k DVSA MOT tests in all (59,973).

At 6 years and typical mileage that is 13% more fails than all class 4 vehicles tested at 6 (3,518 MOT tests).

Volkswagen Caravelle, one line per first-use year (darker = newer) all class 4 vehicles at the same age

Volkswagen Caravelle: share of MOT tests that failed, by age. Only ages with at least 1,000 MOT tests. 'Typical mileage' is n/a where the model's mileage bands cover less than 80% of the national mix.
Age	MOT tests	Raw	Typical mileage	All class 4	Difference
3	2,174	12.9%	12.6%	12.2%	+0.4 pts
4	2,716	16.5%	15.7%	13.4%	+2.3 pts
5	3,188	17.9%	17.5%	15.3%	+2.2 pts
6	3,518	21.1%	20.2%	17.9%	+2.2 pts
7	3,364	22.5%	21.9%	20.7%	+1.2 pts
8	3,360	25.1%	24.4%	23.6%	+0.8 pts
9	3,086	27.5%	26.3%	27.1%	−0.8 pts
10	2,854	28.0%	27.0%	30.7%	−3.7 pts
11	2,832	29.5%	28.5%	33.6%	−5.1 pts
12	2,788	30.1%	28.8%	36.2%	−7.3 pts
13	2,522	31.6%	29.7%	38.2%	−8.5 pts
14	2,247	36.6%	34.5%	40.4%	−5.9 pts
15	2,193	41.0%	38.1%	41.9%	−3.8 pts
16	2,197	45.6%	42.1%	43.0%	−0.9 pts
17	2,466	44.3%	38.8%	43.5%	−4.6 pts
18	2,413	46.6%	41.8%	43.6%	−1.9 pts
19*	2,385	45.6%	38.4%	43.6%	−5.2 pts
20*	2,498	44.4%	36.0%	43.1%	−7.1 pts
21*	2,484	45.3%	37.4%	42.4%	−5.0 pts
22*	2,499	42.7%	35.9%	41.5%	−5.7 pts
23*	2,335	42.9%	34.5%	40.2%	−5.6 pts
24*	2,049	44.0%	37.8%	38.4%	−0.7 pts
25*	1,805	46.6%	43.0%	36.8%	+6.2 pts

* Over 18 years: only survivors are still tested at this age, so these rates describe the cars that are left.

Higher MOT fail rate than average: 21.1% raw · 20.2% at typical mileage, against 17.9% for all class 4 vehicles tested at 6, 3,518 MOT tests. Which years? See the full verdict

What fails on a Volkswagen Caravelle at 6 years

2 of 11 parts fail clearly more or less often than on cars the same age, with the same direction at 3 or more ages up to 18 years and no mixed picture.

What failed at 6 years, per 100 MOT tests (3,518 MOT tests), against all class 4 vehicles tested at 6. A test that fails on two parts counts for both.
Part	Per 100	All class 4	Compared	Most common fail
Suspension	8.0	2.9	fails 2.5–3.1× as often as cars the same age	Coil spring fractured or broken (MOT fail)
Lights and electrics	3.1	4.7	fails less often than cars the same age (0.5–0.8×)	Headlamp aim too low (MOT fail)
Tyres	6.5	5.6	about average for cars the same age	Tyre has ply or cords exposed (MOT fail)
Brakes	3.3	3.5	about average for cars the same age	Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (MOT fail)
Emissions and leaks	2.9	1.3	about average for cars the same age	Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction (MOT fail)
Body and structure	1.8	0.8	about average for cars the same age	Drive shaft constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt (MOT fail)

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Check one Volkswagen Caravelle, not the average

The figures here describe Volkswagen Caravelle cars as a group. A registration shows one car's own DVSA record: its MOT tests, the mileage at each test and the recall flag.

Check a Volkswagen Caravelle's MOT history Every MOT test, fail item, advisory and mileage reading DVSA holds for that registration.
Mileage check on a Volkswagen Caravelle The odometer reading from each MOT, with drops, jumps and long gaps flagged.
Check a Volkswagen Caravelle for an outstanding recall Whether DVSA's MOT record flags an outstanding safety recall for that registration.

More Volkswagen Caravelle data

Volkswagen Caravelle recalls

4 DVSA recalls list this model by name [2]. Vehicles are DVSA's count of affected Volkswagen Caravelle vehicles. The latest:

R/1994/032 Also covers the Volkswagen Caravelle: Loosening of steering u/j clamping bolt (4,813 vehicles of this model), built Aug 1991 to Jul 1993. From the recall's stated risk: “The steering shaft top universal clamping bolt may loosen.This will allow free movement in the steering and if not rectified could lead to loss of steering…”
R/1993/010 Also covers the Volkswagen Caravelle: Inadvertent release of handbrake (3,918 vehicles of this model), built Oct 1990 to May 1992. From the recall's stated risk: “The pawl spring fitted as original equipment to the parking brake may be insufficiently long and consequently fail to exert enough pressure to ensure that…”
R/1993/011 Also covers the Volkswagen Caravelle: Steering shaft clamping bolts may loosen (74 vehicles of this model), built Oct 1990 to Oct 1992. From the recall's stated risk: “The clamp bolt on one of three steering column universal couplings may not have been fully tightened on initial assembly.”

Ask the seller for proof the work was done. Check any car on GOV.UK

Volkswagen Caravelle against similar cars at 6 years

We have no similar model with a mileage-adjusted rate at this age to compare.

Other Volkswagen models

More Volkswagen Caravelle data

Years

2016 Volkswagen Caravelle MOT record

Running costs

Car tax calculator

By part

Questions people ask

How often does a Volkswagen Caravelle fail its MOT at 6 years?

20.2% of MOT tests at 6 years ended in a fail at typical mileage (21.1% as tested), from 3,518 MOT tests, against 17.9% for all class 4 vehicles the same age.

What fails most on a Volkswagen Caravelle at 6 years?

8.0 in 100 MOT tests at 6 years failed on suspension, most often "coil spring fractured or broken", then lights and electrics (3.1) and tyres (6.5), from 3,518 MOT tests.

Does the Volkswagen Caravelle fail on suspension more than other cars?

8.0 in 100 MOT tests at 6 years failed on suspension, against 2.9 for all class 4 vehicles: 2.5–3.1× as often, from 3,518 MOT tests, in the same direction at 3 ages.

Sources

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 59,973 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Vehicle safety recalls data. DVSA recall data. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Cars tested at 6 years are compared only with vehicles tested at 6 years in the same year, adjusted to typical mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data.