Volkswagen Sharan MOT failure rate and common faults
34,269 Volkswagen Sharan cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 23.8% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 25.9% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen Sharan 8% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
23.8%
failed first time
34,269 MOT tests in 2025
-8%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 25.9%
97 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
112.3
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 98.8
What fails on a Volkswagen Sharan 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 Sharan 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 | 55.2 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 34.4 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 32.9 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 25.2 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 18.2 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 18.2 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt | Suspension | 17.4 |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 16.7 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 16.6 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 12.1 |
Volkswagen Sharan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,163 | 15.1% | 12.8% | 36,300 |
| 2020 | 1,617 | 13.5% | 14.1% | 54,600 |
| 2019 | 6,541 | 14.2% | 16.5% | 113,100 |
| 2018 | 3,299 | 16.0% | 19.1% | 98,300 |
| 2017 | 3,476 | 19.4% | 21.8% | 117,300 |
| 2016 | 3,210 | 21.1% | 25.1% | 126,500 |
| 2015 | 3,088 | 25.1% | 28.1% | 126,900 |
| 2014 | 2,705 | 28.5% | 31.4% | 120,700 |
| 2013 | 2,118 | 32.0% | 34.3% | 120,600 |
| 2012 | 2,030 | 32.6% | 36.6% | 115,400 |
| 2011 | 2,078 | 32.5% | 38.8% | 124,200 |
| 2010 | 600 | 44.7% | 40.7% | 144,800 |
| 2007 | 522 | 50.2% | 42.7% | 140,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen Sharan'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 Sharan, 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 edge356.7
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement236.0
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened114.7
- Brake pads: wearing thin96.0
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing71.8
- Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened58.1
Checking a used Volkswagen Sharan before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Sharan fails more often than average on suspension, tyres and body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts. 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.
Body, chassis, exhaust and drive shafts
Turn the steering to full lock and look behind each front wheel: the rubber boots on the drive shafts should be whole, with no grease sprayed around. Then get down with a torch and check the exhaust hangers, sills, floor and subframes for rust.
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 Sharan cars tested: Diesel 83%, Petrol 17%. Average age at test 9.4 years, average recorded mileage 113,300.
Volkswagen Sharan MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen Sharan MOT failure rate?
23.8% of Volkswagen Sharan cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 34,269 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 25.9% of the time, so the Volkswagen Sharan was 8% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen Sharan MOT?
Suspension caused the most failure items, at 148 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded 55.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen Sharan year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2011 registrations did best: 32.5% failed against an average of 38.8% 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 Sharan will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen Sharan 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 Sharan
- Toyota Avensisrank 94
- Volvo V60rank 95
- Land Rover Discovery Sportrank 96
- Mazda CX-5rank 98
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 Sharan 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.