2002 Volkswagen Beetle MOT pass rate: 56.2% (3,724 tests)

2002-registered Volkswagen Beetles passed 56.2% of 3,724 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 9.4 points worse than same-age cars (65.7%). This is one of the lower-scoring Beetle years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

56.2%Pass rate, 2002 cars

90.6Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

3,724Tests analysed

105,021 miMedian mileage at test

56.2% / 56.1%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2002 Beetle getting worse?

Pass rate of 2002-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	54.8% -10.3 vs same-age
2024	56.0% -9.4 vs same-age
2025	58.8% -7.9 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2002 Beetle

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	1,806	27.7%
2	Suspension	1,233	18.9%
3	Brakes	867	13.3%
4	Noise, emissions and leaks	818	12.5%
5	Body, chassis, structure	527	8.1%
6	Steering	379	5.8%

All Beetle years compared

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

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: Volkswagen Beetle years to avoid.

Buying a 2002 Beetle? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2002 Volkswagen Beetle reliable?

2002-registered examples passed 56.2% of their MOT tests (3,724 tests, 2023–2025), -9.4 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 24 years old with a median 105,021 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2002 Beetle?

The median tested example shows 105,021 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.