Volkswagen Bora MOT failures and reliability
In 2023 the Volkswagen Bora took 6,679 MOT tests in Britain and passed 58% of them first time, below the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.
- MOT tests in 2023
- 6,679
- First-time pass rate
- 58%
- All cars
- 71%
What the Bora fails on
Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.
- Lights and electrics22.3% (all cars 11.3%)
- Suspension15.4% (all cars 9.0%)
- Brakes14.7% (all cars 6.8%)
- Body and structure11.8% (all cars 3.5%)
- Steering7.8% (all cars 1.8%)
- Exhaust and emissions6.3% (all cars 3.1%)
- Tyres5.6% (all cars 6.4%)
- Visibility4.8% (all cars 4.8%)
Most common failure items
Share of tests on which each item was recorded.
- Position lamp: not working 6.3%
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect 5.0%
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 4.4%
- Stop lamp: not working 4.0%
- Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 3.9%
- Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.9%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 3.4%
- Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play 3.3%
Most common advisories
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 20.0%
- Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 19.6%
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 16.4%
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 12.8%
- Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 10.6%
- Coil spring: corroded 9.3%
- Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 8.4%
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases 8.1%
Pass rate by year of registration
Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.
| First registered | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 475 | 57% |
| 2001 | 581 | 63% |
| 2002 | 1,010 | 59% |
| 2003 | 1,215 | 57% |
| 2004 | 1,316 | 57% |
| 2005 | 1,614 | 57% |
Typical mileage by age
Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.
| Age at test | Average mileage |
|---|---|
| 17 years | 134,366 miles |
| 18 years | 133,609 miles |
| 19 years | 136,994 miles |
| 20 years | 143,490 miles |
Check a particular Bora
Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.
Other Volkswagen models
- Volkswagen Golf
- Volkswagen Polo
- Volkswagen Transporter
- Volkswagen Tiguan
- Volkswagen Passat
- Volkswagen Caddy
- Volkswagen UP
- Volkswagen Touran
- Volkswagen T ROC
- Volkswagen Scirocco
- Volkswagen Beetle
- Volkswagen Touareg
- Volkswagen Sharan
- Volkswagen FOX
- Volkswagen Amarok
- Volkswagen Caravelle
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Volkswagen T Cross
- Volkswagen CC
- Volkswagen EOS
- Volkswagen California
- Volkswagen Lupo
- Volkswagen E Golf
- Volkswagen Arteon
- Volkswagen Crafter
- Volkswagen LT
- Volkswagen Camper
- Volkswagen Motor Caravan
- Volkswagen Corrado
- Volkswagen Phaeton
Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.