Volkswagen Caravelle MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Volkswagen Caravelle took 18,695 MOT tests in Britain and passed 65% 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: 18,695
First-time pass rate: 65%
All cars: 71%

What the Caravelle fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Lights and electrics14.4% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension13.0% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes10.5% (all cars 6.8%)
Body and structure6.8% (all cars 3.5%)
Visibility5.9% (all cars 4.8%)
Tyres5.7% (all cars 6.4%)
Exhaust and emissions4.1% (all cars 3.1%)
Steering3.8% (all cars 1.8%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Position lamp: not working 3.1%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.0%
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength 2.5%
Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.2%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 2.1%
Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements 1.9%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.9%
Stop lamp: not working 1.8%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 16.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 10.1%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 9.5%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.3%
Brake pads: wearing thin 6.4%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 6.1%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 5.8%
Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s) 4.3%

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
1985	346	58%
1986	344	63%
1987	340	64%
1988	415	64%
1995	318	50%
1996	302	52%
1997	413	55%
1998	425	52%
1999	412	56%
2000	567	55%
2001	663	59%
2002	730	55%
2003	598	54%
2004	533	56%
2005	686	53%
2006	614	55%
2007	584	54%
2008	569	57%
2009	406	63%
2010	613	65%
2011	655	66%
2012	820	69%
2013	697	75%
2014	623	72%
2015	721	75%
2016	1,007	76%
2017	974	78%
2018	667	82%
2019	815	84%
2020	651	87%

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
3 years	30,473 miles
4 years	36,593 miles
5 years	46,667 miles
6 years	67,509 miles
7 years	72,462 miles
8 years	83,165 miles
9 years	78,085 miles
10 years	84,621 miles
11 years	116,800 miles
12 years	107,291 miles
13 years	114,794 miles
14 years	113,552 miles
15 years	140,371 miles
16 years	143,241 miles
17 years	161,808 miles
18 years	166,690 miles
19 years	168,845 miles
20 years	193,337 miles

Check a particular Caravelle

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

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.