2004 Volkswagen Golf MOT pass rate: 59.5% (38,106 tests)

2004-registered Volkswagen Golfs passed 59.5% of 38,106 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — 4.8 points worse than same-age cars (64.3%). This is one of the lower-scoring Golf years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

59.5%Pass rate, 2004 cars

95.2Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

38,106Tests analysed

123,636 miMedian mileage at test

60.5% / 58.3%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2004 Golf getting worse?

Pass rate of 2004-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	59.4% -4.5 vs same-age
2024	58.9% -5.1 vs same-age
2025	60.3% -5.0 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 2004 Golf

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	12,566	20.8%
2	Suspension	11,674	19.3%
3	Brakes	10,005	16.5%
4	Noise, emissions and leaks	6,757	11.2%
5	Body, chassis, structure	6,349	10.5%
6	Tyres	4,500	7.4%

All Golf years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2001	23,877	64.6%	-2.0 pts	127,467
2002	42,213	64.7%	-1.0 pts	137,738
2003	49,414	65.0%	-0.0 pts	132,873
2004 (this page)	38,106	59.5%	-4.8 pts	123,636
2005	59,655	62.3%	-2.2 pts	125,832
2006	87,448	62.4%	-2.0 pts	122,644
2007	119,397	64.6%	-0.5 pts	122,009
2008	119,608	65.8%	+0.7 pts	123,679
2009	130,749	69.0%	+2.6 pts	112,859
2010	133,539	68.4%	+1.1 pts	112,543
2011	150,028	70.3%	+1.1 pts	106,951
2012	154,552	73.3%	+2.0 pts	97,612
2013	163,498	80.7%	+7.3 pts	89,936
2014	191,044	83.3%	+7.5 pts	82,580
2015	200,318	86.0%	+7.3 pts	71,773
2016	193,191	87.7%	+6.4 pts	63,641
2017	207,137	88.7%	+4.7 pts	55,248
2018	182,312	89.9%	+3.5 pts	46,936
2019	142,729	90.5%	+2.1 pts	38,048
2020	20,603	92.6%	+2.7 pts	29,407
2022	1,902	94.1%	+2.9 pts	24,230

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

Buying a 2004 Golf? 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 2004 Volkswagen Golf reliable?

2004-registered examples passed 59.5% of their MOT tests (38,106 tests, 2023–2025), -4.8 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 22 years old with a median 123,636 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2004 Golf?

The median tested example shows 123,636 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.