Common problems

Volkswagen Up common problems

What MOT testers find on the Volkswagen Up: the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 501,026 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 10 years, the most tested age

Lights and electrics fails per 100 MOTs (n=71,930)7.2

All cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507)11.2

Tyres advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=71,930)25.3

All cars, same age (n=9,049,507)26.4

What stands out

No part area of the Volkswagen Up fails more than 1 point per 100 MOTs above all cars at 10 years old (n=71,930; all cars n=9,049,507).
Suspension fails are less common: 3.3 per 100 MOTs against 9.7 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 10 years: wipers not clearing screen, on 2.1 per 100 MOTs (all cars 1.8).
The most common advisory or minor defect: tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge, on 13.2 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 10 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Volkswagen Up at 10 years (n=71,930) against all cars at 10 years (n=9,049,507). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Lights and electrics	7.2	11.2	0.7	5.9
Brakes	5.9	6.5	15.6	21.6
Tyres	4.2	6.9	25.3	26.4
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.9	4.4	2.9	3.9
Suspension	3.3	9.7	7.8	18.2
Body and structure	2.5	2.9	2.3	3.9
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	2.1	2.8	1.0	4.0
Seat belts and airbags	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.4
Steering	0.2	2.1	0.6	2.4
Number plates and VIN	0.1	0.3	1.2	2.0
Road wheels	0.1	0.4	1.0	0.8

What testers fail most on the Up at 10 years

Fail items on the Volkswagen Up at 10 years (n=71,930), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,049,507).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	2.1	1.8	£15 to £30 per blade
Tyre tread below 1.6 mm	Tyres	1.8	2.7	£88 to £145 per tyre
Service brake performance: excessively binding	Brakes	1.8	0.7	£55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide)
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps	Lights and electrics	1.7	1.2	£10 to £47 per lamp
Headlamp aim: too low	Lights and electrics	1.5	1.2	£16 to £39 per car (rough guide)
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	1.4	2.4	£10 to £47 per lamp
Fuel cap/sealing device: ineffective	Body and structure	1.4	0.1
Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	1.1	0.4
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	1.1	1.5	£2 to £14 per car (rough guide)
Coil spring broken	Suspension	1.1	3.2	£64 to £236 per spring (rough guide)

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 10 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Volkswagen Up at 10 years (n=71,930), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=9,049,507).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	13.2	17.0	£88 to £145 per tyre
Tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	Tyres	12.9	8.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	5.7	9.6	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	4.3	5.8	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	3.7	8.1	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Service brake performance: binding but not excessively	Brakes	3.1	1.3	£55 to £267 per wheel (rough guide)
Play in steering rack inner joint(s)	Other	2.1	1.3
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively	Brakes	2.1	2.7	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	1.6	2.2	£88 to £145 per tyre
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	1.6	1.6	£182 to £263 per section

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 10 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Lights and electrics	Brakes	Tyres
3 years	19,720	2.3	0.7	3.7
4 years	29,251	2.6	1.2	3.3
5 years	37,978	3.3	1.8	3.3
6 years	47,381	4.9	2.6	3.8
7 years	55,377	5.9	3.5	3.9
8 years	63,872	6.6	4.1	4.0
9 years	70,828	7.0	5.0	4.1
10 years	71,930	7.2	5.9	4.2
11 years	56,179	8.0	6.5	4.2
12 years	34,619	8.7	7.1	4.5
13 years	13,891	9.7	7.4	4.6

Mileage

At 10 years, Volkswagen Up cars showing under 30,000 miles failed 12.3% of MOTs (n=11,955); the band that failed most, 120,000 to 150,000 miles, failed 38.1% (n=1,046). For pass and fail rates by age, see Volkswagen Up MOT fail rates.

What to check on a viewing

On the Volkswagen Up, testers most often record wipers not clearing screen; tyre tread below 1.6 mm; service brake performance: excessively binding. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Tyres

Check the tread across the full width of all four tyres, and the spare if there is one.
Look for cuts, bulges and cracking in the sidewalls.
Wear on one edge only can point to worn suspension or the tracking being out.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Volkswagen Up?

At 10 years, the age with the most MOT tests (71,930), the fail items testers record most often on the Volkswagen Up are wipers not clearing screen (2.1 per 100 MOTs), tyre tread below 1.6 mm (1.8 per 100 MOTs), service brake performance: excessively binding (1.8 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (13.2) and tyre condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (12.9).

Which parts of the Volkswagen Up fail more often than on other cars?

None by more than 1 point per 100 MOTs at 10 years, compared with 9,049,507 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Volkswagen Up problems by area

Other Volkswagen models

All Volkswagen models · Common problems by make

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.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Volkswagen Up?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

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