Volkswagen up! MOT pass rate and common failures
In 2025, 79.3% of Volkswagen up! MOT tests were a first-time pass, across 125,409 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
89.8%
All cars: 86.1% (3.7 points better). 12,539 tests.
At 6–10 years
79.9%
All cars: 76.1% (3.8 points better). 69,214 tests.
At 11 years and over
75.4%
All cars: 61.3% (14.1 points better). 43,651 tests.
Pass rate by age
Figures by age, with typical mileage
| Age (years) | Tests | First-time pass | All cars | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2,903 | 90.3% | 87.8% | 18,750 miles |
| 4 | 3,047 | 90.8% | 86.4% | 21,250 miles |
| 5 | 6,589 | 89.1% | 84.5% | 26,250 miles |
| 6 | 11,444 | 86.1% | 81.9% | 31,250 miles |
| 7 | 12,544 | 82.5% | 79.3% | 38,750 miles |
| 8 | 12,320 | 78.3% | 76.3% | 41,250 miles |
| 9 | 14,002 | 76.7% | 73.1% | 46,250 miles |
| 10 | 18,904 | 77.9% | 70.0% | 53,750 miles |
| 11 | 20,529 | 76.3% | 66.9% | 58,750 miles |
| 12 | 18,296 | 75.3% | 64.4% | 66,250 miles |
| 13 | 4,826 | 71.7% | 62.1% | 73,750 miles |
Typical mileage is the median reading at the test, to the nearest 2,500 miles.
What fails most often
The share of Volkswagen up! 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 | up! | All cars |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.6% | 16.6% |
| Brakes | 7.5% | 10.2% |
| Tyres | 5.6% | 8.4% |
| Suspension | 5.0% | 13.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.1% | 4.0% |
| Visibility | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 2.2% | 4.2% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0.5% | 1.1% |
Most common reasons for failing
- Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn failed 2.0% of tests · what this means
- Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm failed 1.9% of tests
- Headlamp aim: too low failed 1.9% of tests · what this means
- Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively failed 1.9% of tests · what this means
- Service brake performance: excessively binding failed 1.7% of tests · what this means
- Position lamp: not working failed 1.6% of tests · what this means
- Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps failed 1.3% of tests · what this means
- Coil spring: fractured or broken failed 1.2% of tests · what this means
- Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits failed 1.1% of tests · what this means
- Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords failed 1.1% of tests
Checking a particular up!?
See its own MOT history, mileage record and advisories in plain English. Free, no sign-up.
About these figures
- They cover every up! 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 99.8%, electric 0.2%, diesel 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.