Volkswagen T-Roc MOT failure rate and common faults
92,116 Volkswagen T-Roc cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 9.3% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 14.7% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen T-Roc 37% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
9.3%
failed first time
92,116 MOT tests in 2025
-37%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 14.7%
11 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
49.5
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 65.7
What fails on a Volkswagen T-Roc 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 T-Roc MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 20.2 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 19.3 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 15.4 |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 8.8 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 7.5 |
| Headlamp aim: too low | Lights and electrics | 5.3 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 5.2 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 4.2 |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid | Windscreen, wipers and mirrors | 4.0 |
| Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak | Suspension | 3.4 |
Volkswagen T-Roc 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 | 17,507 | 8.6% | 11.4% | 24,500 |
| 2021 | 21,106 | 8.0% | 12.8% | 31,800 |
| 2020 | 16,785 | 9.2% | 14.1% | 38,600 |
| 2019 | 20,864 | 10.0% | 16.5% | 46,800 |
| 2018 | 15,827 | 10.9% | 19.1% | 51,700 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen T-Roc'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 T-Roc, 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 edge207.9
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing160.3
- Brake pads: wearing thin131.2
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened69.8
- Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil32.7
- Tyres: has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords24.1
Checking a used Volkswagen T-Roc before you buy
The Volkswagen T-Roc has no part of the car that fails well above average for its age, so check the areas that fail most often overall.
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.
Brakes
Look through the wheel spokes at the discs for a deep lip or scoring, check the handbrake holds the car on a slope, and feel for a pull to one side when braking hard.
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.
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 T-Roc cars tested: Petrol 85%, Diesel 15%. Average age at test 5.0 years, average recorded mileage 38,500.
Volkswagen T-Roc MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen T-Roc MOT failure rate?
9.3% of Volkswagen T-Roc cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 92,116 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 14.7% of the time, so the Volkswagen T-Roc was 37% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen T-Roc MOT?
Tyres caused the most failure items, at 55 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded 20.2 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen T-Roc year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2018 registrations did best: 10.9% failed against an average of 19.1% 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 T-Roc will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen T-Roc 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 T-Roc
- Jaguar I-Pacerank 8
- BMW Z4rank 9
- Audi Q2rank 10
- BMW 6 Seriesrank 12
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 T-Roc 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.