Volkswagen Passat MOT failure rate and common faults
168,011 Volkswagen Passat cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 28.0% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 30.8% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen Passat 9% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
28.0%
failed first time
168,011 MOT tests in 2025
-9%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 30.8%
93 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
132.9
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 112.0
What fails on a Volkswagen Passat 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 Passat MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 44.9 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 44.4 |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn | Suspension | 41.0 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 35.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 28.2 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 28.1 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 21.6 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 19.5 |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect | Lights and electrics | 19.5 |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts | 18.8 |
Volkswagen Passat 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 | 2,482 | 12.7% | 11.4% | 46,100 |
| 2021 | 3,667 | 12.1% | 12.8% | 59,800 |
| 2020 | 5,817 | 11.6% | 14.1% | 64,500 |
| 2019 | 7,323 | 13.9% | 16.5% | 76,600 |
| 2018 | 10,778 | 15.9% | 19.1% | 90,500 |
| 2017 | 13,876 | 19.0% | 21.8% | 102,900 |
| 2016 | 14,940 | 20.6% | 25.1% | 114,300 |
| 2015 | 15,204 | 23.1% | 28.1% | 121,500 |
| 2014 | 14,501 | 30.6% | 31.4% | 124,700 |
| 2013 | 11,647 | 32.9% | 34.3% | 131,200 |
| 2012 | 13,136 | 35.3% | 36.6% | 141,400 |
| 2011 | 15,034 | 35.6% | 38.8% | 148,500 |
| 2010 | 9,890 | 37.2% | 40.7% | 145,800 |
| 2009 | 9,520 | 37.4% | 41.8% | 143,300 |
| 2008 | 7,419 | 39.3% | 42.9% | 149,600 |
| 2007 | 5,975 | 41.0% | 42.7% | 152,500 |
| 2006 | 3,890 | 42.9% | 43.0% | 153,400 |
| 2005 | 2,912 | 39.2% | 42.4% | 156,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen Passat'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 Passat, 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 edge384.0
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement214.4
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened170.5
- Brake pads: wearing thin101.9
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil93.8
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing86.0
Checking a used Volkswagen Passat before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Passat fails more often than average on suspension, tyres and seat belts and airbags. 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.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, inner edge included. Uneven wear points to worn suspension or out of line steering geometry.
Seat belts and airbags
Pull every seat belt out fully and let it retract, check each buckle latches, and make sure the airbag warning light goes out after starting.
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.
Fuel mix of the Volkswagen Passat cars tested: Diesel 89%, Petrol 7%, Hybrid 4%. Average age at test 11.4 years, average recorded mileage 122,200.
Volkswagen Passat MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen Passat MOT failure rate?
28.0% of Volkswagen Passat cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 168,011 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 30.8% of the time, so the Volkswagen Passat was 9% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen Passat MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 192 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm", recorded 44.9 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen Passat year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2015 registrations did best: 23.1% failed against an average of 28.1% 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 Passat will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen Passat 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 Caddy31.5% failed
- Volkswagen Up20.5% failed
Ranked close to the Volkswagen Passat
- Volvo XC90rank 90
- BMW X2rank 91
- Mercedes-Benz B-Classrank 92
- Toyota Avensisrank 94
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 Passat 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.