---
title: "Volkswagen Golf MOT pass rate"
canonical: https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/volkswagen/golf
last_updated: 3 September 2026
source: CarBuyerIQ, from DVSA MOT testing data (Open Government Licence v3.0)
licence: CC BY 4.0
data_period: MOT tests completed 2004 to 2026
---

# Volkswagen Golf MOT pass rate

The Volkswagen Golf has an MOT pass rate of 80.1% across 169,830 tests, 1 points above the UK average of 79.1%. It ranks 182 of 386 models by pass rate (1 is the highest). The defect area recorded most often is brakes (26.7% of all defects and advisories recorded).

| Measure | Value |
| --- | ---: |
| Tests analysed | 169,830 |
| Pass rate | 80.1% |
| Fail rate | 19.9% |
| UK average pass rate | 79.1% |
| Rank by pass rate | 182 of 386 |

## Defects by area

Each area's share of all defects and advisories recorded (failure items and advisories).

| Area | Share of all items |
| --- | ---: |
| Brakes | 26.7% |
| Tyres | 25.3% |
| Suspension | 14.2% |
| Lights | 10.2% |
| Other | 7.3% |
| Windscreen | 4.2% |
| Bodywork | 4.1% |
| Corrosion | 2.6% |
| Exhaust | 2.3% |
| Fuel | 1.8% |
| Steering | 0.6% |
| Electrical | 0.4% |
| Structure | 0.2% |
| Drivetrain | 0.1% |

## Fail rate by mileage

| Recorded mileage | Tests | Fail rate |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| Under 40,000 miles | 40,707 | 11.5% |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 63,860 | 17.7% |
| 80,000 to 119,999 miles | 40,727 | 25.3% |
| 120,000 miles and over | 24,180 | 30.6% |

## Fail rate by year of manufacture

| Year | Tests | Fail rate |
| --- | ---: | ---: |
| 1983 | 58 | 36.2% |
| 1987 | 78 | 29.5% |
| 1988 | 231 | 33.8% |
| 1989 | 254 | 25.2% |
| 1990 | 409 | 29.6% |
| 1991 | 424 | 30.9% |
| 1992 | 109 | 28.4% |
| 1994 | 123 | 21.1% |
| 1995 | 166 | 31.3% |
| 1996 | 225 | 25.3% |
| 1997 | 448 | 23.9% |
| 1998 | 423 | 26.5% |
| 1999 | 1,125 | 27.6% |
| 2000 | 1,176 | 27% |
| 2001 | 2,879 | 27.4% |
| 2002 | 5,326 | 26.4% |
| 2003 | 5,458 | 25% |
| 2004 | 3,277 | 25.9% |
| 2005 | 5,132 | 26% |
| 2006 | 7,703 | 25.5% |
| 2007 | 11,560 | 24.6% |
| 2008 | 10,883 | 23.7% |
| 2009 | 11,066 | 22.2% |
| 2010 | 11,144 | 22.1% |
| 2011 | 12,376 | 21.1% |
| 2012 | 12,204 | 20.6% |
| 2013 | 10,721 | 16.5% |
| 2014 | 12,130 | 15.3% |
| 2015 | 10,894 | 14.1% |
| 2016 | 9,909 | 13.1% |
| 2017 | 8,208 | 12.8% |
| 2018 | 8,094 | 12.5% |
| 2019 | 4,753 | 10% |
| 2020 | 598 | 7.9% |
| 2023 | 59 | 11.9% |

## Source and citation

Data period: MOT tests completed 2004 to 2026. Figures last computed 3 September 2026.

Source: DVSA MOT testing data for Great Britain (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mot-testing-data-for-great-britain), aggregated by CarBuyerIQ. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Cite as: CarBuyerIQ, "Volkswagen Golf MOT pass rate", https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/volkswagen/golf

Full dataset (CC BY 4.0): https://www.carbuyeriq.com/data