Used buying checklist

Volkswagen Amarok reliability, common problems and used buying checks

A used Volkswagen Amarok looks better than average for reliability in UK MOT data: 15.3% of 25,085 tests failed, compared with 18.7% across all indexed models. A good example should have a clean MOT history for lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure.

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). MOT data does not capture every reliability issue, especially intermittent engine, gearbox or infotainment faults that do not appear during the test.

• 15.3% MOT failure rate
• Median tested mileage 80,860 miles
• 3,838 failed MOT tests analysed

Most useful finding

Lights and electrical is the clearest area to check

Lights and electrical is the clearest named problem area in this model's MOT history (7.8 MOT notes per 100 tests). Example MOT phrases from this area include with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, and slightly damaged.

Example MOT phrases to search in the car's history:

• with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
• inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps
• slightly damaged
• inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view
• provides insufficient washer liquid
• Items removed from drivers view prior to test
• corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened
• excessively corroded and likely to crack

Before you view one

Focus on lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure

The model's recorded failure rate is 15.3%, -3.4 percentage points compared with the average across all models. Use the seller questions below to check whether repeat MOT notes have actually been repaired.

• MOT tests analysed25,085 tests
• Median tested mileage80,860 miles
• Failed MOT tests3,838

Used buyer verdict

Should you buy a used Volkswagen Amarok?

84.7% of the MOT tests we analysed for this model passed. The model's recorded failure rate is 15.3%, -3.4 percentage points compared with the average across all models. This is a buying brief for the exact car in front of you: clean repeat history matters more than badge reputation.

Better than average in our MOT data

Green light if The car has a tidy MOT pattern, recent repairs for lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure, matching tyres, and paperwork for service or recall work.

Renegotiate if The latest MOT mentions lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure, consumables are due together, or the seller cannot show what was fixed after advisories.

Walk away if Dangerous defects, corrosion near structural areas, warning lights, or the same component family keep returning without clear repair evidence.

• Repeat unresolved MOT notes for lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure
• lights and electrical appearing across more than one MOT
• Any dangerous MOT failure on the exact car, especially if the same area appears again later
• No paperwork showing applicable recall work has been completed
• A seller who cannot explain MOT wording such as "with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning"

What should I check first?

Start with lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, corrosion and structure, and emissions, engine, and exhaust. The checklist on this page explains why each area is being recommended, what to inspect, and what to ask the seller. Each item shows whether it comes from MOT results, recall notices, or a standard used-car check.

• Lights and electrical Seen in MOT results

  Lights and electrical is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (7.8 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check every lamp, warning light, horn, battery condition, and dashboard messages.

  • Ask the seller: Have any lighting, warning-light, horn, battery, or electrical MOT notes come back more than once?
  • Example MOT wording: with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning; inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps; slightly damaged
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors Seen in MOT results

  Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (7.0 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check windscreen damage, wiper operation, washers, mirrors, and demisting.

  • Ask the seller: Have windscreen, wiper, washer, mirror, or demisting faults appeared in recent MOT history?
  • Example MOT wording: does not clear the windscreen effectively; damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view; provides insufficient washer liquid
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Corrosion and structure Seen in MOT results

  Corrosion and structure is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Inspect sills, subframes, mounting points, arches, and underside corrosion advisories.

  • Ask the seller: Has any sill, subframe, mounting-point, chassis, or structural corrosion advisory been repaired properly?
  • Example MOT wording: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened; excessively corroded and likely to crack; casing has relative movement to chassis/bodywork
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Emissions, engine, and exhaust Seen in MOT results

  Emissions, engine, and exhaust is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (3.8 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check warning lights, smoke, exhaust leaks, recent emissions failures, and service history.

  • Ask the seller: Has the car had repeat emissions, smoke, exhaust, lambda, or engine-warning MOT failures?
  • Example MOT wording: leaking excessively from engine; has a major leak of exhaust gases; emissions likely to be affected by an exhaust leak
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 50-100k, 100-150k, 150-200k, and 200k+ miles
• Suspension and steering Seen in MOT results

  Suspension and steering is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.9 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and inspect steering play.

  • Ask the seller: Has any suspension, steering, ball-joint, spring, or wheel-bearing advisory been repaired?
  • Example MOT wording: has excessive free play detected at the steering wheel (steering rack fitted); Play in steering rack inner joint(s); across an axle by more than 50%
• Tyres and wheels Seen in MOT results

  Tyres and wheels is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.3 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check tyre age, tread depth, sidewall damage, wheel condition, and alignment wear.

  • Ask the seller: Have uneven tyre wear, damaged tyres, wheel damage, or alignment issues been corrected?
  • Example MOT wording: Nail in tyre; Spare tyre defective; on a single line braking system has inadequate effort at a wheel
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k miles

What changes with mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Volkswagen Amarok, MOT records most often point to lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure.

Common MOT problem areas

25,085 MOT tests analysed for this model

20,715 Distinct vehicles represented

15.3% Recorded MOT test failure rate — -3.4 percentage points vs all models

Common faults: what usually fails on this model?

Lights and electrical is the clearest named problem area in the MOT history (7.8 MOT notes per 100 tests). These counts are issue notes, not failure rates, because a single MOT can list several faults.

Lights and electrical

• with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
• inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

7.8 MOT notes per 100 tests

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors

• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view

7.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Corrosion and structure

• corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened
• excessively corroded and likely to crack

5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• leaking excessively from engine
• has a major leak of exhaust gases

3.8 MOT notes per 100 tests

Suspension and steering

• has excessive free play detected at the steering wheel (steering rack fitted)
• Play in steering rack inner joint(s)

2.9 MOT notes per 100 tests

Tyres and wheels

• Nail in tyre
• Spare tyre defective

2.3 MOT notes per 100 tests

Brakes

• remains on when the brakes are released
• has insufficient reserve pressure/vacuum to provide assistance for at least four more brake applications after the warning device has operated (or gauge shows an unsafe reading)

0.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Recall-related areas to verify

Official recall areas

Manufacturer recall notices for the Volkswagen Amarok mainly involve 5 areas: brakes, seatbelts and safety systems, tyres and wheels, and mixed recall notices. Treat each as something to verify on the specific car you are viewing; the recall table below shows the official notice text.

Brakes

• ABS control unit
• Power steering return hose can become damaged and cause hydraulic fluid to leak and/or the power steering to fail

2 recalls · 2,645 vehicles

Seatbelts and safety systems

• Front seat belt
• Airbag may not deploy

2 recalls · 83 vehicles

Tyres and wheels

• The lift cable of the spare wheel winch could snap under certain conditions
• Front wheels may lock

2 recalls · 7,533 vehicles

Mixed recall notices

• On certain vehicles there is a possibility that because of a production problem the propshaft securing bolts for the final drive on gearbox side were not tightened with the correct tightening torque.

1 recall · 2 vehicles

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• Risk of fuel leak

1 recall · 4,282 vehicles

Mileage and age checks

Mileage changes: what starts showing up after high mileage?

Past 100k miles on the Volkswagen Amarok, MOT records most often point to lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure. On lower-mileage cars, the most common named areas are windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, lights and electrical, and tyres and wheels.

Mileage range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median mileage
0-50k	5,135	4,523	9.2%-1.6 percentage points vs all models	37,425 miles
50-100k	11,574	9,596	14.9%-5.9 percentage points vs all models	74,069 miles
100-150k	6,190	4,925	19.6%-6.6 percentage points vs all models	118,883 miles
150-200k	1,683	1,306	21.0%-6.3 percentage points vs all models	166,084 miles
200k+	363	286	21.5%-5.1 percentage points vs all models	217,708 miles

Problem areas by mileage

Past 100k miles on the Volkswagen Amarok, MOT records most often point to lights and electrical, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and corrosion and structure.

Mileage range	Car areas most often recorded	Specific MOT defect examples
0-50k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (3.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (2.5 MOT notes per 100 tests) Tyres and wheels (1.9 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
50-100k	Lights and electrical (6.5 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (6.0 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (4.9 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
100-150k	Lights and electrical (11.6 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (9.7 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (7.9 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
150-200k	Lights and electrical (15.5 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (11.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (10.1 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
200k+	Lights and electrical (22.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (16.0 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (10.5 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.

Fair comparisons: is this problem normal for its age?

The MOT failure rate rises from 9.5% at 0-3 years to 0.0% at 15+ years. Compare the car with the nearest age range before treating a fault as normal wear or a warning sign. The average MOT failure rate across all models in the same dataset is 18.7%. The highest failure rate by age is 20.4% for 10-15 years cars, based on 3,558 tests.

Age range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median age
0-3 years 2023–2026 reg.	965	875	9.5%+1.1 percentage points vs all models	3.0 years
3-6 years 2020–2023 reg.	8,545	7,384	12.0%+1.4 percentage points vs all models	4.9 years
6-10 years 2016–2020 reg.	12,016	9,789	16.6%-0.0 percentage points vs all models	8.0 years
10-15 years 2011–2016 reg.	3,558	2,792	20.4%-3.1 percentage points vs all models	10.9 years
15+ years pre-2011 reg.	1	1	0.0%-25.9 percentage points vs all models	35.7 years

Recall records and data freshness

Recall context: are there safety notices to know about?

6 relevant recall notices appear for this model. Treat them as safety checks to verify for the exact car, not as normal MOT wear.

2025-09-18	ABS control unit On affected vehicles there is a possibility of a loss of braking assistance caused by a fault with the electromechanical brake servo. Update the software for the electromechanical brake servo control unit.
2024-11-11	Front seat belt On affected vehicles there is a possibility the seat belt for the driver seat was incorrectly anchored. Check the seat belt fixing and reinstall correctly if needed.
2023-10-26	On certain vehicles there is a possibility that because of a production problem the propshaft securing bolts for the final drive on gearbox side were not tightened with the correct tightening torque. On certain vehicles there is a possibility that because of a production problem the propshaft securing bolts for the final drive on gearbox side were not tightened with the correct tightening torque. On the affected vehicles the propshaft bolted connection is retightened with the correct tightening torque. If bolts are found to be loose all 4 securing bolts must be replaced.
2020-12-11	THE LIFT CABLE OF THE SPARE WHEEL WINCH COULD SNAP UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS On affected vehicles the lift cable of the spare wheel winch could snap under certain conditions. Retrofit an anti-theft device.
2017-12-18	POWER STEERING RETURN HOSE CAN BECOME DAMAGED AND CAUSE HYDRAULIC FLUID TO LEAK AND/OR THE POWER STEERING TO FAIL A hose clip can damage the power steering return hose for the steering rack. The power steering hose can also contact the wheel housing. If the hose is damaged hydraulic fluid can discharge and the power steering assistance could fail. In unfavourable cases the hydraulic fluid can get in contact with hot vehicle component or on the brake disc. This could create a danger of accident or fire. Recall the vehicles that are likely to be affected and fit a serrated ring. Fit or remove a spacer as appropriate.
2015-08-12	AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY The drivers air bag propellant cannister may not have been fitted correctly. This may affect the deployment of the airbag. Replace driver's air bag unit.

Related searches

Common ways people look up the Volkswagen Amarok. Each link runs the search and lands on the relevant section of this report.

• Volkswagen Amarok common problems
• Volkswagen Amarok reliability
• Volkswagen Amarok after 100k miles
• Volkswagen Amarok after 200k miles
• Volkswagen Amarok high mileage common problems
• Volkswagen Amarok age related problems
• Volkswagen Amarok MOT failures
• Volkswagen Amarok recalls

Related reliability guides

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). These are patterns from many MOT tests and recall notices. They help you decide what to inspect and what to ask; they do not certify the condition of one specific car.