Volkswagen Beetle MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 59.1% of Volkswagen Beetle MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 40,520 tests in Great Britain. For all cars it was 71.5%.
Compared with cars of the same age
Older cars fail more often, so a model that’s mostly a few years old will look better than one that’s mostly 12. These figures compare like with like.
At 3–5 years
–
Too few tests at this age to say.
At 6–10 years
70.5%
All cars: 76.1% (5.6 points worse). 9,920 tests.
At 11 years and over
55.4%
All cars: 61.3% (5.9 points worse). 30,593 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 549 | 83.1% | 81.9% | 36,250 miles |
| 7 | 1,341 | 74.3% | 79.3% | 41,250 miles |
| 8 | 1,797 | 71.6% | 76.3% | 48,750 miles |
| 9 | 2,843 | 69.5% | 73.1% | 58,750 miles |
| 10 | 3,390 | 67.2% | 70.0% | 63,750 miles |
| 11 | 4,097 | 65.7% | 66.9% | 71,250 miles |
| 12 | 3,583 | 65.2% | 64.4% | 78,750 miles |
| 13 | 864 | 63.1% | 62.1% | 78,750 miles |
| 14 | 1,617 | 53.6% | 60.2% | 78,750 miles |
| 15 | 1,780 | 54.2% | 58.6% | 83,750 miles |
| 16 | 1,761 | 49.2% | 57.5% | 91,250 miles |
| 17 | 2,579 | 48.7% | 57.2% | 93,750 miles |
| 18 | 2,374 | 48.1% | 57.0% | 96,250 miles |
| 19 | 2,418 | 50.0% | 57.2% | 98,750 miles |
| 20+ | 9,520 | 53.4% | 61.4% | 98,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Volkswagen Beetle MOT tests that failed on at least one item in each area, against all cars. A test can fail on several areas at once.
| Area | Beetle | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 29.9% | 16.6% |
| Suspension | 24.7% | 13.7% |
| Brakes | 13.9% | 10.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 11.9% | 4.0% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.6% | 4.2% |
| Tyres | 8.1% | 8.4% |
| Visibility | 7.4% | 5.2% |
| Steering | 6.0% | 2.5% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 6.9% of tests · what this means
- Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength failed 5.2% of tests
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 5.0% of tests · what this means
- Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect failed 4.9% of tests · what this means
- Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction failed 4.3% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 4.1% of tests · what this means
- Rear fog lamp: not working failed 3.8% of tests · what this means
- Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt failed 3.3% of tests
- Position lamp: not working failed 3.2% of tests · what this means
- Stop lamp: not working failed 3.1% of tests · what this means
Checking a particular Beetle?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every Beetle version DVSA records under this name (engines, trims and generations together), on its first MOT test of each visit. A “pass with rectification” (fixed within an hour) counts as a fail, as in DVSA’s own statistics.
- Cars under three years old are left out, because the few tested that young are mostly taxis.
- Fuel mix of the cars tested: petrol 74.8%, diesel 25.2%, electric 0.0%.
- A pass rate describes the model, not any one car. How a car has been looked after matters more.
Download these figures (CSV) · Other Volkswagen models · All makes
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data for 2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Our own analysis; not produced or endorsed by DVSA.