18,479 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Amarok reliability and MOT pass rate
79.9% passed first time. The 20.1% fail rate is 2.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 96,179 miles.
Pass rate
79.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 20.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
96,179 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,450 | 12.1% |
| 6-9 years | 9,237 | 17.4% |
| 10-13 years | 7,276 | 24.4% |
| 14+ years | 511 | 29% |
What the Amarok fails on
Share of failed tests with at least one fail item in each DVSA inspection section. A test can fail in several sections at once.
- Brakes723 dangerous48.3%
- Suspension38 dangerous31.1%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment12 dangerous28.7%
- Tyres470 dangerous13.5%
- Noise, emissions and leaks5 dangerous13.2%
- Steering229 dangerous10.8%
- Visibility3 dangerous10.1%
- Body, chassis, structure11 dangerous6.3%
Is the Amarok getting worse?
The fail rate rose 4.2 points to 20.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.5 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 19,718 | 6 | 16.3% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 20,367 | 7 | 17.8% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 17,673 | 8 | 20.1% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 17,585 | 9 | 20.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Amarok at its test that year, and it is the number to watch: across the whole fleet each extra year of age adds roughly 1.9 points to the fail rate, so a model whose age and fail rate rise together is simply getting older.
The exact defects that fail it
Every failure item DVSA recorded against a Amarok in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements461 tests
- 2Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction404 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn370 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak357 tests
- 5Service brake performance: excessively binding339 tests
- 6Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side322 tests
- 7Coil spring: fractured or broken304 tests
- 8Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick302 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Amarok collects 2.17 of them per test, and these are the ones that come up most. Treat it as the running-repairs list for the next year or two.
- 1Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm2,312 tests
- 2Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick1,309 tests
- 3Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,144 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak1,107 tests
- 5Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn922 tests
- 6Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened678 tests
- 7Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened662 tests
- 8Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure451 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Amarok MOT pass rate?
79.9% of the 18,479 Volkswagen Amarok first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 20.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Amarok usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements", recorded on 461 failed tests, followed by "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction" and "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn". By section, brakes appears in 48.3% of failures, suspension appears in 31.1% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 28.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 12.1%; at 14+ years it was 29%. The median Volkswagen Amarok tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 96,179 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Amarok getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 4.2 points to 20.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 7.5 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
First-attempt class 4 tests, 2025, from DVSA’s anonymised MOT data (OGL v3, retrieved 2026-09-12). DVSA records newer cars trim by trim; this page adds every Amarok trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
DVSA has published 8 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Amarok: Volkswagen Amarok recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Amarok?
The odds above are the model. The car in front of you has its own record: every test, every advisory, the mileage at each one.
Due a test? Find an approved MOT station near you.