Volkswagen Touareg MOT failure rate and common faults
36,073 Volkswagen Touareg cars aged 3 to 20 took their MOT in 2025, and 22.5% failed at the first attempt. An average car of the same age failed 28.1% of the time, which makes the Volkswagen Touareg 20% less likely to fail than the typical car on the road. Here is what fails, and which years to look for.
22.5%
failed first time
36,073 MOT tests in 2025
-20%
vs same age average
average car of this age mix: 28.1%
50 of 208
age adjusted rank
among cars; 1 fails least
69.7
dangerous defects per 1,000
same age average: 104.0
What fails on a Volkswagen Touareg 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 Touareg MOT failures
The individual failure items testers recorded most often, per 1,000 tests.
| Failure item | Area | Per 1,000 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken | Suspension | 80.0 |
| Rear fog lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 26.5 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm | Tyres | 26.4 |
| Tyres: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords | Tyres | 18.8 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction | Engine, emissions and leaks | 16.7 |
| Tyres: has ply or cords exposed | Tyres | 12.8 |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick | Brakes | 12.5 |
| Headlamp aim: too high | Lights and electrics | 12.0 |
| Position lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 11.5 |
| Stop lamp: not working | Lights and electrics | 10.7 |
Volkswagen Touareg 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 | 1,030 | 8.3% | 11.4% | 33,100 |
| 2021 | 1,964 | 8.7% | 12.8% | 42,600 |
| 2020 | 1,933 | 8.4% | 14.1% | 50,300 |
| 2019 | 2,858 | 16.0% | 16.5% | 58,900 |
| 2018 | 1,550 | 15.7% | 19.1% | 66,400 |
| 2017 | 3,260 | 23.6% | 21.8% | 74,000 |
| 2016 | 3,819 | 21.5% | 25.1% | 83,900 |
| 2015 | 4,100 | 23.2% | 28.1% | 92,300 |
| 2014 | 2,998 | 21.8% | 31.4% | 101,500 |
| 2013 | 2,268 | 21.4% | 34.3% | 111,300 |
| 2012 | 1,786 | 23.9% | 36.6% | 119,200 |
| 2011 | 1,617 | 27.5% | 38.8% | 130,300 |
| 2010 | 692 | 31.9% | 40.7% | 134,100 |
| 2009 | 1,006 | 35.7% | 41.8% | 133,000 |
| 2008 | 1,226 | 37.1% | 42.9% | 142,600 |
| 2007 | 1,680 | 35.6% | 42.7% | 146,200 |
| 2006 | 1,368 | 37.0% | 43.0% | 149,100 |
| 2005 | 918 | 34.1% | 42.4% | 147,300 |
Advisories to look for in a Volkswagen Touareg'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 Touareg, 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 edge297.5
- Brake pads: wearing thin125.6
- Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened83.3
- Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive78.7
- Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement65.1
- Tyres: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing42.9
Checking a used Volkswagen Touareg before you buy
Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Touareg fails more often than average on seat belts and airbags. Start there.
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 Touareg cars tested: Diesel 96%, Petrol 4%. Average age at test 10.5 years, average recorded mileage 94,000.
Volkswagen Touareg MOT questions
What is the Volkswagen Touareg MOT failure rate?
22.5% of Volkswagen Touareg cars failed their first MOT test of 2025, from 36,073 tests on vehicles aged 3 to 20. An average car with the same age mix failed 28.1% of the time, so the Volkswagen Touareg was 20% less likely to fail.
What fails most often on a Volkswagen Touareg MOT?
Lights and electrics caused the most failure items, at 124 per 1,000 tests. The single most common failure item was "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded 80.0 times per 1,000 tests.
Which Volkswagen Touareg year has the best MOT record?
Measured against cars of the same age, 2020 registrations did best: 8.4% failed against an average of 14.1% 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 Touareg will pass?
No. These are averages across every Volkswagen Touareg 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 Touareg
- Mercedes-Benz CLSrank 47
- Suzuki Vitararank 48
- Mazda CX-3rank 49
- Mercedes-Benz E-Classrank 51
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 Touareg 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.