Volkswagen Up MOT pass rate: 84.1% (121,528 tests, 2025)

Name: Volkswagen Up 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 Up passed 84.1% of its 121,528 MOT tests in 2025 — 6.6 points above the UK average of 77.5%. The median tested example was 10 years old with 47,962 miles on the clock.

84.1%Pass rate (2025)

121,528MOT tests analysed

47,962 miMedian mileage at test

10 yrsMedian age at test

How the Up compares

Volkswagen Up

84.1%

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 Up

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

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Brakes	9,456	24.0%
2	Tyres	6,521	16.6%
3	Suspension	6,290	16.0%
4	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	6,151	15.6%
5	Noise, emissions and leaks	5,212	13.3%
6	Visibility	2,806	7.1%

Pre-MOT checklist for Up owners

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

Feel for a spongy pedal or pulling to one side; check pad wear through the wheel spokes if visible
Check tread with the 20p test and inspect sidewalls for cracking — tyres close to the limit are the country’s most common advisory
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
A blowing exhaust or visible smoke will fail; warm the engine fully before the test

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 →

Up pass rate by registration year

Strongest age-adjusted years: 2012, 2013. Full ranking and method: Volkswagen Up years to avoid.

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage	Pass-rate bar
2012	41,028	81.0%	+9.8 pts	65,090	81.0% visual scale
2013	59,101	82.7%	+9.4 pts	58,022	82.7% visual scale
2014	62,076	83.8%	+8.0 pts	51,505	83.8% visual scale
2015	47,975	84.0%	+5.3 pts	44,878	84.0% visual scale
2016	37,919	83.8%	+2.5 pts	38,880	83.8% visual scale
2017	39,064	86.9%	+2.9 pts	34,346	86.9% visual scale
2018	38,010	89.2%	+2.8 pts	27,980	89.2% visual scale
2019	24,427	92.5%	+4.1 pts	22,169	92.5% visual scale
2020	5,620	95.2%	+5.3 pts	16,426	95.2% visual scale
2021	1,797	95.2%	+4.7 pts	15,880	95.2% 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.

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

Exhaust system has a minor leak of exhaust gases — 948 cars · 8.2% failed the same item the next year
Pins and bushes pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement — 4,168 cars · 7.1% failed the same item the next year
Brake pads wearing thin — 3,122 cars · 7.0% failed the same item the next year
Service brake performance binding but not excessively — 2,899 cars · 6.7% failed the same item the next year
Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 661 cars · 4.1% failed the same item the next year

Check a specific Up 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 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 Up?

In 2025, 84.1% of 121,528 first MOT tests on the Volkswagen Up were passes (UK average: 77.5%). Data: DVSA anonymised MOT results.

What does the Up fail its MOT on most?

The biggest defect group is brakes (24.0% of its recorded defects), followed by tyres.

Is the Volkswagen Up reliable?

MOT pass rate is one lens on durability: at 84.1% it performs above the national average at a median age of 10 years and 47,962 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.