Volkswagen Golf MOT Pass Rate
The Volkswagen Golf has an MOT pass rate of 80.1%, compared with a UK average of 79.1%, based on 169,830 DVSA MOT tests from 2004 to March 2026. It ranks 182nd of 386 cars we track by pass rate.
The most common MOT problem area on the Volkswagen Golf is brakes, at 26.7% of all defects and advisories recorded.
Allowing for age, the weakest Volkswagen Golf years are 2000, 2001 and 1999, which fail more often than the average car registered in the same year.
Data: DVSA MOT test results, 2004 to March 2026. Last updated 3 September 2026.
- Volkswagen Golf MOT pass rate
- 80.1%
- UK average pass rate
- 79.1%
- MOT tests analysed
- 169,830
Ranked 182 of 386 models by MOT pass rate (1 is the highest).
What the Volkswagen Golf fails on
Every defect and advisory recorded at MOT, grouped by area. Includes advisories as well as failure items.
| Area | Share of all items | Items per 100 tests | Items recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 26.7% | 50.7 | 86,061 |
| Tyres | 25.3% | 47.9 | 81,386 |
| Suspension | 14.2% | 26.9 | 45,741 |
| Lights and signalling | 10.2% | 19.3 | 32,698 |
| Other items | 7.3% | 13.8 | 23,361 |
| Windscreen and wipers | 4.2% | 8 | 13,581 |
| Bodywork | 4.1% | 7.7 | 13,043 |
| Corrosion | 2.6% | 5 | 8,484 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 2.3% | 4.3 | 7,291 |
| Fuel system | 1.8% | 3.5 | 5,933 |
| Steering | 0.6% | 1.2 | 2,005 |
| Electrical | 0.4% | 0.8 | 1,380 |
| Structure | 0.2% | 0.4 | 712 |
| Drivetrain | 0.1% | 0.1 | 237 |
Fail rate by mileage
How the Volkswagen Golf holds up as the miles build, using the odometer reading at each test.
| Mileage at test | Golf fail rate | UK fail rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 miles | 11.5% | 13.1% | 40,707 |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 17.7% | 21.7% | 63,860 |
| 80,000 to 119,999 miles | 25.3% | 28.3% | 40,727 |
| 120,000 miles or more | 30.6% | 31.4% | 24,180 |
Which years to avoid
Fail rate by year first registered, next to the UK fail rate for all cars registered that year. Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare each year with its own UK figure.
| Year | Golf fail rate | UK fail rate, same year | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 36.2% | 25.9% | 58 |
| 1987 | 29.5% | 25.8% | 78 |
| 1988 | 33.8% | 25.3% | 231 |
| 1989 | 25.2% | 25.3% | 254 |
| 1990 | 29.6% | 25.4% | 409 |
| 1991 | 30.9% | 26.3% | 424 |
| 1992 | 28.4% | 26.8% | 109 |
| 1994 | 21.1% | 26.6% | 123 |
| 1995 | 31.3% | 25.9% | 166 |
| 1996 | 25.3% | 26.4% | 225 |
| 1997 | 23.9% | 25.5% | 448 |
| 1998 | 26.5% | 24.4% | 423 |
| 1999 | 27.6% | 25.3% | 1,125 |
| 2000 | 27% | 24.5% | 1,176 |
| 2001 | 27.4% | 25% | 2,879 |
| 2002 | 26.4% | 25% | 5,326 |
| 2003 | 25% | 25.3% | 5,458 |
| 2004 | 25.9% | 25.3% | 3,277 |
| 2005 | 26% | 25.4% | 5,132 |
| 2006 | 25.5% | 25.3% | 7,703 |
| 2007 | 24.6% | 25.2% | 11,560 |
| 2008 | 23.7% | 25.3% | 10,883 |
| 2009 | 22.2% | 24.9% | 11,066 |
| 2010 | 22.1% | 24.5% | 11,144 |
| 2011 | 21.1% | 23.4% | 12,376 |
| 2012 | 20.6% | 22.6% | 12,204 |
| 2013 | 16.5% | 21.6% | 10,721 |
| 2014 | 15.3% | 20.2% | 12,130 |
| 2015 | 14.1% | 18.7% | 10,894 |
| 2016 | 13.1% | 17.3% | 9,909 |
| 2017 | 12.8% | 15.6% | 8,208 |
| 2018 | 12.5% | 14.7% | 8,094 |
| 2019 | 10% | 13.8% | 4,753 |
| 2020 | 7.9% | 13.3% | 598 |
| 2023 | 11.9% | 11.9% | 59 |
Years with fewer than 50 tests, and cars too new to have reached their first MOT, are left out.
Volkswagen Golf MOT questions
Is the Volkswagen Golf reliable?
On MOT results the Volkswagen Golf is better than average: it passes 80.1% of tests against a UK average of 79.1%, ranking 182nd of 386 cars we track. Allowing for the age of the cars tested, its fail rate of 19.9% is 2.1 percentage points lower than the 22% you would expect from the average car of the same registration years. A pass rate is one useful signal of how well a model holds up, but it does not capture breakdowns between tests, repair costs or how an individual car has been looked after, so always check the history of the specific car.
What does the Volkswagen Golf usually fail its MOT on?
Across 169,830 MOT tests, the areas most often flagged on the Volkswagen Golf were brakes (26.7%), tyres (25.3%) and suspension (14.2%), shown as a share of all defects and advisories recorded. These counts include advisories as well as failure items, so they show where problems tend to appear rather than only what caused a fail.
Which Volkswagen Golf years should I avoid?
Comparing each year with the average car of the same age, the weakest years of the Volkswagen Golf were 2000 (27% fail rate against 24.5% for all cars first registered that year, 1,176 tests), 2001 (27.4% fail rate against 25% for all cars first registered that year, 2,879 tests) and 1999 (27.6% fail rate against 25.3% for all cars first registered that year, 1,125 tests). The strongest relative to their age were 2013, 2014 and 2015. Older cars fail more often whatever the model, which is why each year is compared with its own age group. Only years with at least 1,000 tests are included.
Does the Volkswagen Golf get worse with mileage?
Yes. The Volkswagen Golf fails 11.5% of MOT tests taken at under 40,000 miles and 30.6% at 120,000 miles or more, based on 40,707 and 24,180 tests respectively. Across all models the equivalent figures are 13.1% and 31.4%.
How does the Volkswagen Golf compare with the national average?
The Volkswagen Golf passes 80.1% of MOT tests, 1 percentage point above the UK average of 79.1% across all 6,681,613 tests in the data. That places it 182nd of 386 cars with at least 1,000 tests, where 1st has the highest pass rate.
Check a specific Volkswagen Golf
See the full MOT history of the exact car you're looking at, free.
Related reading
Volkswagen Golf Depreciation: Best Year to Buy Used for Value
When Does a Volkswagen Golf Stop Depreciating?
Volkswagen Golf: Best Age to Buy for Lowest Cost Per Mile
Volkswagen Golf Resale Value: How Well Does It Hold?
What Does 'Brake Disc Worn' Mean on an MOT? Serious or Not?
Brake Disc Worn: Repair Cost and How Urgent Is It
Repeated Brake Disc Worn Advisory: Should You Walk Away?
What Does 'Suspension Arm Bush Worn' Mean on an MOT? Serious or Not?
Other Volkswagen models
Data: DVSA MOT test results for Great Britain, 2004 to March 2026, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures cover 169,830 tests. Last updated 3 September 2026. How these figures are calculated.
How to cite this data: Source: CarBuyerIQ analysis of DVSA MOT test data, https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/volkswagen/golf