Volkswagen Beetle MOT pass rate: 64.4% (40,400 tests, 2025)

Name: Volkswagen Beetle MOT statistics 2025
Creator: OBDCode UK
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Last updated 24 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

The Volkswagen Beetle passed 64.4% of its 40,400 MOT tests in 2025 — 13.1 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 15 years old with 80,036 miles on the clock.

64.4%Pass rate (2025)

40,400MOT tests analysed

80,036 miMedian mileage at test

15 yrsMedian age at test

How the Beetle compares

Volkswagen Beetle

64.4%

UK average (all Class 4 vehicles)

77.5% across 33.1 million tests

Volkswagen average (all models)

77.6%

What fails most on the Volkswagen Beetle

Across failed and rectified tests in 2025, these vehicle systems produced the most defects on the Beetle:

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	10,623	24.5%
2	Suspension	10,262	23.7%
3	Brakes	5,762	13.3%
4	Noise, emissions and leaks	4,731	10.9%
5	Body, chassis, structure	3,962	9.1%
6	Tyres	3,235	7.5%

Pre-MOT checklist for Beetle owners

Based on the failure profile above, ten minutes with a torch before your test removes the most likely fail items:

Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
A blowing exhaust or visible smoke will fail; warm the engine fully before the test
Look underneath for corrosion around sills and subframes, especially on older cars

Engine management light on?

An illuminated engine management light is a Major MOT defect. Read the code, repair the cause, then confirm the light stays off — clearing a code alone is not a repair.

Understand the engine management light and MOT rules →

Beetle pass rate by registration year

Lower age-adjusted outliers to inspect carefully: 2001, 2002, 2007. Strongest age-adjusted years: 2012. Full ranking and method: Volkswagen Beetle years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2001	3,129	57.7%	-8.8 pts	100,824	57.7% visual scale
2002	3,724	56.2%	-9.4 pts	105,021	56.2% visual scale
2003	7,688	56.7%	-8.3 pts	104,536	56.7% visual scale
2004	10,300	55.6%	-8.7 pts	103,358	55.6% visual scale
2005	9,150	59.2%	-5.3 pts	98,754	59.2% visual scale
2006	8,944	56.2%	-8.2 pts	97,919	56.2% visual scale
2007	8,432	54.8%	-10.4 pts	92,492	54.8% visual scale
2008	7,018	56.4%	-8.8 pts	90,796	56.4% visual scale
2009	5,249	60.3%	-6.1 pts	84,966	60.3% visual scale
2010	6,215	63.3%	-4.0 pts	78,131	63.3% visual scale
2011	1,969	64.8%	-4.3 pts	74,327	64.8% visual scale
2012	6,707	69.4%	-1.7 pts	73,563	69.4% visual scale
2013	13,115	69.3%	-4.0 pts	69,848	69.3% visual scale
2014	10,633	71.2%	-4.7 pts	62,040	71.2% visual scale
2015	9,659	73.1%	-5.6 pts	54,408	73.1% visual scale
2016	6,745	74.9%	-6.4 pts	47,318	74.9% visual scale
2017	4,462	78.1%	-5.9 pts	38,632	78.1% visual scale
2018	2,653	83.0%	-3.3 pts	31,614	83.0% visual scale

Same-vehicle follow-up

The defect groups above are a single-year count. The prognosis registry follows the same vehicle_id into the next MOT year. The extracts do not record the repair, a turbo part number, or a gearbox type.

Suspension: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Brakes: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Noise, emissions and leaks: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Body, chassis, structure: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold
Tyres: advisory follow-up · did the same fail item hold

On this model, these certificate lines have a published follow-up (cohort at least 200 cars):

Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 449 cars · 14.0% failed the same item the next year
Pins and bushes pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement — 2,452 cars · 12.1% failed the same item the next year
Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 252 cars · 10.7% failed the same item the next year
Individual direction indicators slightly discoloured — 243 cars · 8.2% failed the same item the next year
Ball joint has slight play — 406 cars · 7.9% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Beetle before you buy

Pass rates describe the model; they can’t tell you about the one car you’re looking at. Run its plate through our free MOT history check to see its personal record of failures, advisories and mileage readings.

Other Volkswagen models

Golf77.8% pass rate · 782,869 tests Polo71.4% pass rate · 577,151 tests Transporter70.7% pass rate · 269,178 tests Tiguan81.4% pass rate · 184,098 tests Passat75.3% pass rate · 166,958 tests Caddy73.4% pass rate · 139,412 tests Up84.1% pass rate · 121,528 tests Touran73.2% pass rate · 67,815 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Volkswagen Beetle?

In 2025, 64.4% of 40,400 first MOT tests on the Volkswagen Beetle were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Beetle fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment (24.5% of its recorded defects), followed by suspension.

Is the Volkswagen Beetle reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 64.4% it performs below the national average at a median age of 15 years and 80,036 miles. Always check the individual car's history too.

Before you agree to the work

A fault or an advisory is a quote waiting to happen. These pages set out what a garage has to tell you, what a comparable written quote should include, and what you can do if the bill is not what you agreed.

Estimates, quotes and extra work — what a price has to cover, and when a garage may charge more than it first said.
What a diagnostic test costs — what the fee should include, and when it should come off the repair.
Tools — when to buy and when to skip — how to choose a diagnostic tool, and when a garage visit is cheaper than owning one.
Choosing a garage you can check — what to verify before you hand over the keys.
Your rights after a car repair — what to do when the work is not right, and how to put it in writing.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2025 extract (Class 4 initial tests only; retests excluded). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures rounded to one decimal place.