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MOT fail rates

Volkswagen up! MOT fail rate by age

How often the Volkswagen up! fails its MOT at each age, compared with all cars of the same age, and what it fails on. From 501,026 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated

At 10 years, the most tested age

MOT fail rate at age 10 (n=71,930)21.9%
All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)30.3%
Median mileage at test52,487
All cars, median mileage75,043

73 of 309 model groups with enough tests fail less often at 10 years.

What stands out

  • At 3 years the Volkswagen up! fails 8.0% of MOTs (19,720 tests), 4.1 points below the 12.1% for all cars that age. At 13 years it fails 26.1% (13,891 tests), 12.2 points below the 38.3% average.
  • The gap is widest at 13 years: 12.2 points below all cars.
  • Its most common structural or mechanical fail item at 10 years: Service brake performance: excessively binding, at 2.3 per 100 MOTs.

MOT fail rate by age

3 years 13 years 42.1%

Solid line: this model. Dashed line: all cars at the same age.

Volkswagen up!: share of MOT tests that failed, by age, against all cars. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
AgeMOT fail rateTests (n)All carsDifferenceMedian mileage
3 years8.0%19,72012.1%−4.1 pts13,409 miles
4 years10.4%29,25113.4%−3.0 pts18,054 miles
5 years12.6%37,97815.3%−2.8 pts23,453 miles
6 years15.7%47,38117.8%−2.1 pts28,869 miles
7 years17.9%55,37720.6%−2.7 pts34,487 miles
8 years19.5%63,87223.8%−4.2 pts40,398 miles
9 years21.1%70,82827.1%−6.0 pts46,387 miles
10 years21.9%71,93030.3%−8.4 pts52,487 miles
11 years22.9%56,17933.3%−10.4 pts57,906 miles
12 years24.6%34,61936.0%−11.4 pts63,406 miles
13 years26.1%13,89138.3%−12.2 pts69,577 miles

Most common fail items at 10 years

Split into structural or mechanical items and wear items. Wear items (tyres, brake pads, wipers, bulbs) say more about upkeep than about the design.

Structural and mechanical

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Service brake performance: excessively binding Major2.3
Fuel cap/sealing device: ineffective Major1.4
Suspension arm bush worn Major1.2
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Major1.1

Out of 71,930 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Wear and upkeep

Fail itemPer 100 MOTs
Wipers not clearing screen Major2.7
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm Dangerous2.4
Headlamp aim: too low Major2
Side/position light not working Major1.7
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Major1.7
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Major1.2

Out of 71,930 MOTs. A test with two faults counts twice.

Other models at 10 years

ModelMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
Volkswagen Golf22.0%241,71330.3%
Volkswagen Polo32.0%172,71230.3%
Volkswagen Passat27.8%59,09330.3%

MOT fail rate by first-use year

Each year has its own page: the fail rate for cars first used that year at each MOT from 2022 to 2025 with at least 1,000 tests, the most common faults at that age, and the car tax and ULEZ rules for that year.

First-use year data updated .

Latest MOT age with at least 1,000 tests for each first-use year.
First usedAge at testMOT fail rateTests (n)All cars
201213 years in 202526.1%13,88838.3%
201312 years in 202523.6%20,64036.0%
201411 years in 202522.5%21,79533.3%
201510 years in 202522.4%16,32730.3%
20169 years in 202523.6%12,87327.1%
20178 years in 202518.6%13,23823.8%
20187 years in 202515.2%12,91420.6%
20196 years in 202511.5%8,31017.8%
20205 years in 20259.5%3,49515.3%
20214 years in 20259.1%4,38413.4%

More on the Volkswagen up!

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.

Looking at one Volkswagen up!?

These are figures for the model, not for one car. The VetTheCar Buying Report looks at a single car: its MOT tests, defects, advisories and mileage readings.

See an example report Browse the 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 22 September 2026.

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