Buying Report · £14.99
Tools

Common problems by part

Volkswagen Polo body and structure problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 194,370 MOT tests · Updated

At 8 years, 1.4 in 100 MOT tests of the Volkswagen Polo failed on body and structure, against 1.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 194,370 MOT tests) [1].

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years), 2,708 MOT tests with a fail
  • By age: seen at 23 ages from 3 to 25 years, 2,506,053 MOT tests
  • MOT tests at 8 years: 194,370 for the Volkswagen Polo

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

1.4 fails per 100 MOT tests at 8 years, against 1.8 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 8 (all test years). That is about average.

Why it matters

A body and structure fail stops the car passing until it is fixed.

What to check

Look under the sills, jacking points and rear subframe for rot, bubbling or fresh underseal over a repair, and check every door, bonnet and boot shuts properly.

Volkswagen Polo body and structure fails by age

Volkswagen Polo body and structure fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the Volkswagen Polo. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.0510153 years: 0.1 per 100 (all cars 0.3), 117,242 MOT tests34 years: 0.2 per 100 (all cars 0.3), 137,075 MOT tests5 years: 0.3 per 100 (all cars 0.5), 153,338 MOT tests56 years: 0.4 per 100 (all cars 0.8), 179,314 MOT tests7 years: 0.8 per 100 (all cars 1.3), 194,153 MOT tests78 years: 1.4 per 100 (all cars 1.8), 194,370 MOT tests9 years: 2.1 per 100 (all cars 2.3), 187,117 MOT tests910 years: 2.9 per 100 (all cars 2.9), 172,712 MOT tests11 years: 4.3 per 100 (all cars 3.5), 162,708 MOT tests1112 years: 5.6 per 100 (all cars 4.3), 157,169 MOT tests13 years: 6.6 per 100 (all cars 5.0), 142,073 MOT tests1314 years: 8.4 per 100 (all cars 5.9), 130,218 MOT tests15 years: 10.6 per 100 (all cars 6.7), 114,706 MOT tests1516 years: 13.3 per 100 (all cars 7.6), 98,520 MOT tests17 years: 15.2 per 100 (all cars 8.3), 90,239 MOT tests1718 years: 15.7 per 100 (all cars 8.7), 77,718 MOT tests19 years: 15.0 per 100 (all cars 9.0), 64,382 MOT tests1920 years: 14.0 per 100 (all cars 9.2), 48,865 MOT tests21 years: 13.2 per 100 (all cars 9.3), 35,055 MOT tests2122 years: 12.2 per 100 (all cars 9.4), 23,596 MOT tests23 years: 11.1 per 100 (all cars 9.5), 13,528 MOT tests2324 years: 11.1 per 100 (all cars 9.4), 7,722 MOT tests25 years: 9.7 per 100 (all cars 9.3), 4,233 MOT tests25
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. Volkswagen Polo All class 4 vehicles the same age Shaded: over 18 years, survivors only.
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
3117,2420.10.3
4137,0750.20.3
5153,3380.30.5
6179,3140.40.8
7194,1530.81.3
8194,3701.41.8
9187,1172.12.3
10172,7122.92.9
11162,7084.33.5
12157,1695.64.3
13142,0736.65.0
14130,2188.45.9
15114,70610.66.7
1698,52013.37.6
1790,23915.28.3
1877,71815.78.7
19*64,38215.09.0
20*48,86514.09.2
21*35,05513.29.3
22*23,59612.29.4
23*13,52811.19.5
24*7,72211.19.4
25*4,2339.79.3

All first-use years of the Volkswagen Polo pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years. * Only survivors are still tested at this age.

What fails in the body and structure at 8 years

Advisories (not fails)

Replace leaking exhaust section cost

Buying a Volkswagen Polo? Check that exact car before the viewing.

Buying Report £14.99 incl. VAT · one car · no subscription · Not a mechanical inspection.

  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

By engine and fuel

  • 1.2 petrol: 1.0 per 100 at 8 years, about average for petrol class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 99,562 MOT tests)
  • 1.0 petrol: 1.8 per 100 at 8 years, about average for petrol class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 63,609 MOT tests)
  • 1.4 petrol: 0.9 per 100 at 8 years, about average for petrol class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 12,301 MOT tests)

How to check on a test drive

Look under the sills, jacking points and rear subframe for rot, bubbling or fresh underseal over a repair, and check every door, bonnet and boot shuts properly.

The most common advisory here in MOT records: Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases.

Check one Volkswagen Polo, not the average

The figures here describe Volkswagen Polo cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other Volkswagen Polo problems

Body and structure on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the Volkswagen Polo have more body and structure problems than other cars?

1.4 in 100 MOT tests at 8 years, against 1.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age: about average by our test (all test years; 194,370 MOT tests).

How common are Volkswagen Polo body and structure problems?

1.4 in 100 MOT tests at 8 years failed on body and structure, against 1.8 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 194,370 MOT tests).

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 2,506,053 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare