Volkswagen Transporter MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the Volkswagen Transporter took 295,323 MOT tests in Britain and passed 68% 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: 295,323
First-time pass rate: 68%
All cars: 71%

What the Transporter fails on

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

Lights and electrics13.1% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension11.9% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes8.6% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility5.6% (all cars 4.8%)
Tyres5.5% (all cars 6.4%)
Body and structure5.3% (all cars 3.5%)
Exhaust and emissions4.0% (all cars 3.1%)
Steering2.9% (all cars 1.8%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Coil spring: fractured or broken 3.2%
Position lamp: not working 2.4%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 2.2%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.0%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.9%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.9%
Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.9%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction 1.8%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 15.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 8.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 7.2%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 7.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin 7.0%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 5.9%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 4.9%
Coil spring: corroded 3.7%

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
1983	368	55%
1984	582	59%
1985	595	59%
1986	818	61%
1987	679	60%
1988	904	64%
1989	1,208	64%
1990	1,184	64%
1991	867	63%
1992	1,141	53%
1993	1,094	53%
1994	1,908	56%
1995	2,181	56%
1996	2,650	56%
1997	3,182	54%
1998	3,953	55%
1999	4,271	54%
2000	4,873	54%
2001	6,658	54%
2002	6,585	56%
2003	7,111	55%
2004	9,319	55%
2005	10,228	56%
2006	11,522	56%
2007	13,544	58%
2008	12,745	58%
2009	9,170	61%
2010	10,826	65%
2011	12,075	67%
2012	12,420	70%
2013	14,361	72%
2014	15,888	72%
2015	17,881	74%
2016	19,760	77%
2017	19,657	78%
2018	19,509	80%
2019	18,517	82%
2020	13,973	82%
2021	506	89%

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	37,456 miles
4 years	46,021 miles
5 years	56,565 miles
6 years	66,251 miles
7 years	77,879 miles
8 years	86,029 miles
9 years	97,133 miles
10 years	108,245 miles
11 years	116,552 miles
12 years	125,416 miles
13 years	132,742 miles
14 years	134,809 miles
15 years	145,741 miles
16 years	154,229 miles
17 years	161,023 miles
18 years	167,111 miles
19 years	173,373 miles
20 years	169,310 miles

Check a particular Transporter

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.