Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate: 70.7% (269,178 tests, 2025)

Name: Volkswagen Transporter 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 Transporter passed 70.7% of its 269,178 MOT tests in 2025 — 6.8 points below the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 13 years old with 118,398 miles on the clock.

70.7%Pass rate (2025)

269,178MOT tests analysed

118,398 miMedian mileage at test

13 yrsMedian age at test

How the Transporter compares

Volkswagen Transporter

70.7%

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 Transporter

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

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Suspension	58,349	25.5%
2	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	46,045	20.1%
3	Brakes	44,296	19.4%
4	Body, chassis, structure	22,663	9.9%
5	Tyres	19,397	8.5%
6	Visibility	15,245	6.7%

Pre-MOT checklist for Transporter owners

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

Bounce each corner and listen for clonks over speed bumps — suspension is this model’s (and the UK’s) top failure system
Walk round with all lights on: one blown bulb is the most avoidable fail there is
Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
Look underneath for corrosion around sills and subframes, especially on older cars
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory

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 →

Transporter pass rate by registration year

Lower age-adjusted outliers to inspect carefully: 2001, 2002, 2003. Strongest age-adjusted years: 2011, 2013. Full ranking and method: Volkswagen Transporter years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2001	18,995	59.7%	-7.0 pts	176,001	59.7% visual scale
2002	18,892	60.7%	-5.0 pts	174,505	60.7% visual scale
2003	20,573	60.3%	-4.8 pts	170,125	60.3% visual scale
2004	26,997	61.1%	-3.4 pts	174,608	61.1% visual scale
2005	29,665	61.7%	-2.9 pts	166,888	61.7% visual scale
2006	33,635	61.8%	-2.7 pts	161,235	61.8% visual scale
2007	39,621	64.6%	-0.5 pts	154,942	64.6% visual scale
2008	37,454	64.9%	-0.2 pts	145,782	64.9% visual scale
2009	26,858	67.0%	+0.6 pts	134,860	67.0% visual scale
2010	32,067	69.3%	+1.9 pts	131,890	69.3% visual scale
2011	35,821	71.7%	+2.5 pts	124,750	71.7% visual scale
2012	36,794	73.4%	+2.2 pts	115,489	73.4% visual scale
2013	42,846	76.0%	+2.7 pts	108,438	76.0% visual scale
2014	47,097	75.4%	-0.4 pts	96,375	75.4% visual scale
2015	53,196	77.1%	-1.6 pts	86,048	77.1% visual scale
2016	58,914	79.8%	-1.5 pts	78,278	79.8% visual scale
2017	59,295	80.7%	-3.3 pts	67,431	80.7% visual scale
2018	58,110	82.8%	-3.5 pts	58,069	82.8% visual scale
2019	40,352	85.4%	-3.0 pts	47,280	85.4% visual scale
2020	1,935	86.3%	-3.6 pts	36,308	86.3% 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
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):

Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 2,337 cars · 11.7% failed the same item the next year
Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 1,942 cars · 9.7% failed the same item the next year
Linkage ball joints ball joint has slight play — 2,614 cars · 7.3% failed the same item the next year
Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 4,893 cars · 6.3% failed the same item the next year
Prescribed areas prescribed area is corroded but not considered excessive — 240 cars · 6.2% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Transporter 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 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 T-Roc92.0% pass rate · 55,178 tests

FAQs

What is the MOT pass rate for a Volkswagen Transporter?

In 2025, 70.7% of 269,178 first MOT tests on the Volkswagen Transporter were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Transporter fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is suspension (25.5% of its recorded defects), followed by lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment.

Is the Volkswagen Transporter reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 70.7% it performs below the national average at a median age of 13 years and 118,398 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.