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Volkswagen reliability and common MOT problems by model

Volkswagen shows a 19.2% combined MOT failure rate across 3,744,146 tests in Motintel data. T Roc has one of the lower high-confidence rates at 6.4%. Fox deserves extra checking at 28.5%.

Data sources: DVSA MOT records, official recall records, and MOT fault wording snapshots (2026-04-27, 2026-04-29, rfr_codes_2025-05-12, failure items 2023). Search-indexed model pages must clear 20,000 MOT tests and 10,000 vehicles.

Most reliable Volkswagen models in MOT data

#	Model	MOT failure rate	Tests	Vehicles
1	Volkswagen T Roc	6.4%	54,018 tests	48,256 vehicles
2	Volkswagen Up	11.9%	135,870 tests	115,780 vehicles
3	Volkswagen Tiguan	14.0%	211,909 tests	174,796 vehicles
4	Volkswagen Amarok	15.3%	25,085 tests	20,715 vehicles
5	Volkswagen Sharan	17.2%	44,119 tests	31,361 vehicles

Volkswagen models with the highest MOT failure rates

#	Model	MOT failure rate	Tests	Vehicles
1	Volkswagen Fox	28.5%	38,598 tests	27,365 vehicles
2	Volkswagen Beetle	27.0%	63,580 tests	46,587 vehicles
3	Volkswagen Caravelle	24.3%	23,145 tests	17,455 vehicles
4	Volkswagen Crafter	22.1%	68,620 tests	52,355 vehicles
5	Volkswagen Transporter	22.1%	366,122 tests	279,404 vehicles

Common Volkswagen MOT problem areas

#	Problem area	MOT notes	Models affected	What to check	High-rate examples
1	Corrosion and structure	682,802 MOT notes	17 models	Inspect sills, subframes, suspension mounts, brake pipes, and previous welding or rust repairs.	Volkswagen Caravelle, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Transporter
2	Suspension and steering	569,533 MOT notes	17 models	Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and ask whether worn joints or bushes have been replaced.	Volkswagen Fox, Volkswagen Crafter, Volkswagen Caravelle
3	Lights and electrical	432,141 MOT notes	17 models	Test every exterior light, warning lamp, horn, washer, and basic electrical function before buying.	Volkswagen Fox, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Crafter
4	Emissions, engine, and exhaust	326,597 MOT notes	17 models	Check cold starts, exhaust smoke, warning lights, service history, and recent emissions repairs.	Volkswagen Fox, Volkswagen Caravelle, Volkswagen Beetle
5	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors	279,947 MOT notes	17 models	Check the windscreen, wipers, washers, mirrors, chips, cracks, and whether the driver's view is clear.	Volkswagen Crafter, Volkswagen Fox, Volkswagen Caddy
6	Tyres and wheels	75,065 MOT notes	17 models	Look for matching tyres, legal tread, sidewall damage, wheel damage, and uneven wear.	Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Scirocco, Volkswagen Crafter

All Volkswagen model reports

Model	MOT tests	Vehicles	Failure rate
Golf	1,064,714	852,811	18.6%
Polo	766,786	583,947	21.6%
Transporter	366,122	279,404	22.1%
Passat	248,006	191,463	20.2%
Tiguan	211,909	174,796	14.0%
Caddy	183,438	141,499	20.4%
Up	135,870	115,780	11.9%
Touran	98,919	74,849	22.0%
Crafter	68,620	52,355	22.1%
Beetle	63,580	46,587	27.0%
Scirocco	60,481	46,428	20.4%
T Roc	54,018	48,256	6.4%
Sharan	44,119	31,361	17.2%
Touareg	42,941	34,397	17.4%
Fox	38,598	27,365	28.5%
Amarok	25,085	20,715	15.3%
Caravelle	23,145	17,455	24.3%
Jetta limited data	19,669	14,691	23.3%
Eos limited data	17,718	13,251	23.8%
Cc limited data	17,600	13,755	18.4%
T Cross limited data	14,731	13,146	7.8%
Lt limited data	10,357	7,325	29.8%
California limited data	9,654	8,127	13.5%
Golf Match Edition Tsi Evo limited data	9,030	7,831	6.0%
Lupo limited data	8,834	6,588	26.0%
Bora limited data	8,662	6,425	26.3%
Tiguan Match Tsi Evo limited data	8,325	7,320	7.5%
Polo Match Tsi limited data	7,782	7,215	5.0%
E Golf limited data	7,310	6,226	10.3%
Tiguan Match Tsi Evo S A limited data	7,305	6,379	7.5%
Arteon limited data	6,624	5,701	10.3%
Golf Life Tsi limited data	5,896	5,336	6.8%
Golf Match Edition Tsi Evo S A limited data	5,158	4,542	6.1%
Transporter T28 Startline Tdi limited data	5,064	4,217	15.3%
Crafter Cr35 Trendline Tdi limited data	4,958	4,041	16.1%
Transporter T28 Highline Tdi limited data	4,489	3,899	10.4%
Tiguan Match Tdi limited data	3,825	3,274	9.7%
Unclassified limited data	3,584	2,800	20.5%
Tiguan R Line Tech Tdi limited data	3,375	2,867	10.7%
Polo Match Evo limited data	3,146	2,898	6.6%
Golf Style Tsi limited data	3,111	2,874	6.0%
Crafter Cr35 Startline Tdi limited data	2,800	2,263	17.4%
Tiguan R Line Tech Tdi S A limited data	2,557	2,152	10.4%
Tiguan R Line Tech Tdi 4m Sa limited data	2,518	2,158	9.7%
Camper limited data	2,292	1,704	25.0%
Golf Match Edition Tdi limited data	2,284	1,979	7.8%
Tiguan Match Tdi S A limited data	2,249	1,952	7.0%
Transporter T32 H Line Tdi S A limited data	2,144	1,871	9.9%
Id3 Life limited data	2,054	1,596	6.2%
Golf Life Etsi S A limited data	2,017	1,889	5.1%
Transporter T30 Highline Tdi limited data	1,966	1,699	11.6%
Motor Caravan limited data	1,955	1,507	22.9%
Id3 1st Edition limited data	1,945	1,777	6.6%
Polo Match Tsi S A limited data	1,922	1,791	5.0%
Passat Sel Tdi S A limited data	1,848	1,536	10.0%
Tiguan Match Tdi 4motion S A limited data	1,795	1,510	9.1%
Transporter T30 H Line Tdi S A limited data	1,695	1,497	8.8%
Transporter T30 Startline Tdi limited data	1,648	1,353	15.8%
Golf Match Edition Tsi limited data	1,630	1,447	7.3%
Golf Style Etsi S A limited data	1,573	1,467	5.9%
Id4 Life limited data	1,567	941	2.8%
Corrado limited data	1,550	1,269	19.6%
Tiguan R Line Tsi S A limited data	1,544	1,436	7.6%
Golf R Line Tsi limited data	1,409	1,302	7.3%
Transporter T32 Se Tdi Bmt S A limited data	1,276	1,011	12.6%
Phaeton limited data	1,196	952	18.1%
Golf R Line Etsi S A limited data	1,092	1,001	7.5%
Transporter T32 Highline Tdi limited data	1,048	902	9.9%
Touareg V6 Black Edition Tdi A limited data	1,012	920	6.9%
Golf Gti Tsi S A limited data	1,002	917	7.1%

Models with limited data (fewer than 20,000 tests or 10,000 vehicles) have full reports but are not indexed in search engines until the evidence threshold is met.