MOT fail rates by first-use year

2015 Volkswagen Polo MOT fail rate and common faults

How Volkswagen Polo cars first used in 2015 did at their MOTs from 2022 to 2025, against all cars of the same age. From 206,954 DVSA MOT tests of these cars. First use is usually the date the car was first registered.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 10 years, tested in 2025

MOT fail rate at age 10 (n=51,485)28.1%

All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)30.3%

Difference−2.2 pts

MOT tests of 2015 cars, 2022 to 2025206,954

What stands out

In 2025, at 10 years old, Volkswagen Polo cars first used in 2015 failed 28.1% of MOTs (51,485 tests), 2.2 points below the 30.3% for all cars that age.
From 2022 to 2025, as these cars went from 7 to 10 years old, the fail rate moved from 21.4% to 28.1%.
Volkswagen Polo cars first used a year earlier, in 2014, failed 32.4% at the same age of 10 years (44,372 tests, in 2024).
The most common fail item that is not a wear item, for the Volkswagen Polo at 10 years, is suspension arm bush worn, at 3.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars: 1.4).

MOT fail rate by test year

Volkswagen Polo cars first used in 2015: 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	7 years	21.4%	52,034	20.6%	+0.8 pts
2023	8 years	25.0%	51,776	23.8%	+1.2 pts
2024	9 years	27.0%	51,659	27.1%	−0.1 pts
2025	10 years	28.1%	51,485	30.3%	−2.2 pts

Most common faults at 10 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Polo MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=172,712). 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
Suspension arm bush worn	3.5	1.4
Dipped headlight not working Wear	3.0	1.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Wear	2.4	2.7
Coil spring broken	2.2	3.2
Shock absorber leaking	2.1	0.9
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Wear	2.1	1.2
Handbrake too weak	2.0	1.0
Wipers not clearing screen Wear	1.9	1.8
Headlamp aim: too low Wear	1.8	1.2
Side/position light not working Wear	1.8	2.4

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=172,712). 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	15.8	17.0
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing Wear	11.3	8.6
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	10.9	9.6
Suspension pin or bush worn, without excessive movement	9.5	5.8
Shock absorber misting oil	7.0	3.4
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Wear	5.3	3.2
Brake pads wearing thin Wear	5.2	8.1
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	3.2	1.3
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	2.8	1.6
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	2.7	2.7

Per 100 of the MOTs above (n=172,712). A test with two items counts once for each.

Fuel type at 10 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Polo MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=172,712). 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
Petrol	90.5%	31.2%	156,277	29.5%	63,274 miles
Diesel	9.5%	38.9%	16,430	31.4%	86,098 miles

Fail rate by mileage at 10 years

These figures cover all Volkswagen Polo MOTs at 10 years: cars first used 2012 to 2015, tested 2022 to 2025 (n=172,712). At 10 years, Volkswagen Polo cars at over 150,000 miles failed more often (44.5%, n=1,056) than those at under 30,000 miles (15.4%, n=13,545). Bands with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.

Mileage at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Under 30,000 miles	15.4%	13,545	15.3%
30,000 to 60,000 miles	26.2%	58,878	24.7%
60,000 to 90,000 miles	35.7%	66,973	31.9%
90,000 to 120,000 miles	41.7%	26,338	35.3%
120,000 to 150,000 miles	44.1%	5,201	36.5%
Over 150,000 miles	44.5%	1,056	36.5%

Car tax rules for a 2015 car

Cars first registered from 1 March 2001 to 31 March 2017 are taxed by CO2 emissions band, from band A (the lowest emissions) to band M. The band is set by the CO2 figure on the V5C logbook.

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

ULEZ and clean air zones

Petrol cars first registered from 2006 usually meet Euro 4, the petrol standard for the London ULEZ, so they usually do not pay the daily charge.
Diesel cars usually meet Euro 6 when first registered from September 2015. A 2015 diesel can be on either side of that date, so the Euro standard of that car decides.
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 Polo

2014 Volkswagen Polo 2016 Volkswagen Polo

Other Volkswagen models first used in 2015

Model	Age at test	MOT fail rate	Tests (n)	All cars
Volkswagen Golf (2015)	10 years in 2025	18.1%	67,274	30.3%
Volkswagen Tiguan (2015)	10 years in 2025	25.1%	19,887	30.3%
Volkswagen up! (2015)	10 years in 2025	22.4%	16,327	30.3%
Volkswagen Passat (2015)	10 years in 2025	22.9%	15,288	30.3%
Volkswagen Scirocco (2015)	10 years in 2025	26.3%	5,391	30.3%
Volkswagen Touareg (2015)	10 years in 2025	23.0%	4,125	30.3%
Volkswagen Touran (2015)	10 years in 2025	27.6%	3,849	30.3%
Volkswagen Beetle (2015)	10 years in 2025	31.9%	3,272	30.3%

More on the Volkswagen Polo

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 2015 Volkswagen Polo 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.