Volkswagen Fox MOT failure rate and common faults
23,315 Volkswagen Fox cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 49.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 41.6% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen Fox 19% more likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
49.3%
failed first time
23,315 MOT tests in 2025
+19%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 41.6%
177 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
106.2
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 143.4
What fails on a Volkswagen Fox 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 Fox MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 64.7 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 63.0 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 61.7 |
| Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 61.7 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 59.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 57.3 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 57.2 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 54.6 |
| Exhaust system: has a major leak of exhaust gases | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 54.0 |
| Catalyst emissions: Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits | Engine, emissions and leaks | 52.6 |
Volkswagen Fox 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2,214 | 45.4% | 38.8% | 73,100 |
| 2010 | 6,849 | 49.0% | 40.7% | 77,800 |
| 2009 | 4,318 | 49.7% | 41.8% | 78,000 |
| 2008 | 3,783 | 51.4% | 42.9% | 85,800 |
| 2007 | 3,897 | 50.4% | 42.7% | 85,600 |
| 2006 | 2,169 | 48.2% | 43.0% | 87,900 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen Fox'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 Fox, 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 edge256.1
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing223.3
- Coil spring: corroded138.4
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement131.2
- Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases120.7
- Flexible brake hoses: has slight corrosion to ferrule81.4
Checking a used Volkswagen Fox before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Fox fails more often than average on lights and electrics, suspension and windscreen, wipers and mirrors. Start there.
Lights and electrics
Walk round the car with every light on: headlights on dip and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and the number plate lamp. A pattern of electrical faults costs more than a bulb.
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 Fox MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen Fox MOT failure rate?
49.3% of Volkswagen Fox cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 23,315 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 41.6% of the time, so the Volkswagen Fox was 19% more likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen Fox MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 403 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively", recorded 64.7 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen Fox year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2006 registrations did best: 48.2% failed against an average of 43.0% 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 Fox will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen Fox 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 Caddy31.5% failed
Ranked close to the Volkswagen Fox
- Tesla Model 3rank 174
- Fiat Puntorank 175
- Nissan Jukerank 176
- Ford Grand C-Maxrank 178
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 Fox cars 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.