7,880 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Crafter reliability and MOT pass rate
76% passed first time. The 24% fail rate is 1.4 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 10 years old with 108,777 miles.
Pass rate
76%
22.6% of all cars failed; 24% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
108,777 mi
10 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 1,341 | 12.4% |
| 6-9 years | 1,922 | 19.3% |
| 10-13 years | 2,538 | 26.8% |
| 14+ years | 2,043 | 32.9% |
What the Crafter 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.
- Brakes280 dangerous54.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment9 dangerous32.2%
- Suspension36 dangerous20.2%
- Noise, emissions and leaks11 dangerous19.8%
- Visibility2 dangerous16.5%
- Tyres216 dangerous12.2%
- Body, chassis, structure19 dangerous12.1%
- Steering6 dangerous10.2%
Is the Crafter getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 25.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 5,294 | 9 | 25.1% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 5,510 | 10 | 25.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 6,639 | 10 | 25.7% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 7,119 | 11 | 25.3% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Crafter 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 Crafter in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements430 tests
- 2Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction255 tests
- 3Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded167 tests
- 4Service brake performance: excessively binding138 tests
- 5Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively126 tests
- 6Rbt (sp): efficiency less than 50% of the required value124 tests
- 7Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play124 tests
- 8SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault119 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Crafter collects 2.86 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.
- 1Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded1,229 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened922 tests
- 3Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine774 tests
- 4Non-component advisories: Play in steering rack inner joint(s)651 tests
- 5Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm588 tests
- 6Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn563 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure316 tests
- 8Service brake performance: excessively binding289 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate?
76% of the 7,880 Volkswagen Crafter first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 24% 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 Crafter usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements", recorded on 430 failed tests, followed by "Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction" and "Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded". By section, brakes appears in 54.9% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 32.2% of failures, suspension appears in 20.2% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 12.4%; at 14+ years it was 32.9%. The median Volkswagen Crafter tested in 2025 was 10 years old with 108,777 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Crafter getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.2 points to 25.3% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 2 years. Ageing alone would predict about 5.2 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 Crafter 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 13 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Crafter: Volkswagen Crafter recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Crafter?
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.