Volkswagen Caddy MOT failure rate and common faults
146,045 Volkswagen Caddy vans aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 31.5% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 29.0% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen Caddy 9% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
31.5%
failed first time
146,045 MOT tests in 2025
+9%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 29.0%
4 of 24
age adjusted rank
among vans and pickups; 1 fails least
123.8
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 106.9
What fails on a Volkswagen Caddy MOT
Failure items recorded per 1,000 tests, by part of the car, set against an average car with exactly the same spread of ages. A figure well above average is a weak spot worth checking before you buy.
The most common Volkswagen Caddy MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 53.1 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 35.0 |
| Anti-roll bars: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 34.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 29.3 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 28.0 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 25.7 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 25.1 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 24.4 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 22.4 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 21.1 |
Volkswagen Caddy MOT failure rate by year
Every car fails more often as it ages, so each registration year is compared with the average for all cars of the same age. Years with fewer than 500 tests are left out.
| First registered | Tests | Failed | Same age average | Average mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,973 | 17.1% | 11.4% | 42,000 |
| 2021 | 4,584 | 16.6% | 12.8% | 54,000 |
| 2020 | 6,540 | 18.9% | 14.1% | 62,700 |
| 2019 | 10,488 | 21.0% | 16.5% | 72,700 |
| 2018 | 10,696 | 21.0% | 19.1% | 83,800 |
| 2017 | 11,568 | 28.4% | 21.8% | 90,600 |
| 2016 | 12,936 | 30.6% | 25.1% | 100,500 |
| 2015 | 11,772 | 33.1% | 28.1% | 106,300 |
| 2014 | 11,538 | 34.2% | 31.4% | 120,300 |
| 2013 | 11,964 | 36.3% | 34.3% | 127,700 |
| 2012 | 9,377 | 36.6% | 36.6% | 140,800 |
| 2011 | 11,447 | 38.0% | 38.8% | 139,800 |
| 2010 | 8,558 | 40.9% | 40.7% | 151,500 |
| 2009 | 6,299 | 40.0% | 41.8% | 153,800 |
| 2008 | 4,973 | 39.6% | 42.9% | 162,900 |
| 2007 | 4,000 | 41.3% | 42.7% | 160,500 |
| 2006 | 2,594 | 41.4% | 43.0% | 166,000 |
| 2005 | 1,738 | 42.2% | 42.4% | 170,500 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen Caddy's MOT history
An advisory is a tester's warning that something is wearing but has not failed yet. These are the ones written most often on the Volkswagen Caddy, per 1,000 tests. If the car you are looking at has one of these, ask whether it has been fixed since.
- Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge319.1
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened168.9
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement100.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing97.4
- Brake pads: wearing thin96.1
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive84.4
Checking a used Volkswagen Caddy before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Caddy fails more often than average on suspension and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
Suspension
Drive over speed bumps with the radio off and listen for knocks. Look at the car side on: a corner sitting lower than the others often means a broken coil spring.
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors
Look for chips or cracks in the driver's line of sight, and test the wipers and washers. Windscreen damage in the swept area is an MOT failure.
Averages only take you so far. The specific car's MOT history shows whether it has already failed on any of these, how often advisories were ignored, and whether the mileage climbs steadily from test to test. Read our guide to reading a car's MOT history before you go to view it.
Volkswagen Caddy MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen Caddy MOT failure rate?
31.5% of Volkswagen Caddy vans failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 146,045 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 29.0% of the time, so the Volkswagen Caddy was 9% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen Caddy MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 232 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded 53.1 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen Caddy year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2008 registrations did best: 39.6% failed against an average of 42.9% for cars that age. Older cars always fail more often, so compare a year with its age group rather than with newer cars.
Does this tell me whether a particular Volkswagen Caddy will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen Caddy tested in 2025. The car in front of you has its own record: its full MOT history shows every pass, failure and advisory it has had, and it is free to view by registration.
Other Volkswagen models
- Volkswagen Golf23.9% failed
- Volkswagen Polo31.7% failed
- Volkswagen Transporter29.2% failed
- Volkswagen Tiguan18.6% failed
- Volkswagen Passat28.0% failed
- Volkswagen Up20.5% failed
Ranked close to the Volkswagen Caddy
- Fiat Ducatorank 1
- Peugeot Boxerrank 2
- Mitsubishi L200rank 5
- Mercedes-Benz Vitorank 6
How these figures are calculated
Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 release. We count first tests of cars and small vans (class 4) aged 3 to 20, so a car that fails and is retested is counted once. A failure includes faults fixed and passed within the same visit. The same age average weights the national failure rate for each age by how many Volkswagen Caddy vans of that age were tested, so a model is never penalised for having an older fleet. Make and model are as recorded at the test; trim levels are combined. Full method and rankings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.