6,803 tests in 2025
Volkswagen E-Golf reliability and MOT pass rate
87.6% passed first time. The 12.4% fail rate is 10.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 6 years old with 40,185 miles.
Electric versions only, by DVSA’s fuel record for each test. Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions are on the Volkswagen Golf page.
Pass rate
87.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 12.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
40,185 mi
6 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,392 | 10.8% |
| 6-9 years | 4,316 | 13.3% |
| 10-13 years | 94 | — |
| 14+ years | 1 | — |
What the E-Golf 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.
- Tyres533 dangerous65%
- Suspension1 dangerous25.7%
- Visibility1 dangerous9.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous7.6%
- Brakes25 dangerous5.8%
- Road Wheels2 dangerous1.5%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1.1%
- Body, chassis, structure0.8%
Is the E-Golf getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.7 points to 12.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.2 points, so it is holding up better than the fleet average for its age.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 4,187 | 3 | 10.7% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 6,572 | 4 | 11.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 5,471 | 5 | 12% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 6,041 | 6 | 12.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical E-Golf 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 E-Golf in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has ply or cords exposed201 tests
- 2Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords183 tests
- 3Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak172 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm127 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure45 tests
- 6Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively30 tests
- 7Washers: not working29 tests
- 8Coil spring: fractured or broken23 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical E-Golf collects 2.1 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.
- 1Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak1,094 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm1,085 tests
- 3Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure849 tests
- 4Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened223 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt208 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm154 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre143 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords132 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen E-Golf MOT pass rate?
87.6% of the 6,803 Volkswagen E-Golf first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 12.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen E-Golf usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has ply or cords exposed", recorded on 201 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak". By section, tyres appears in 65% of failures, suspension appears in 25.7% of failures, visibility appears in 9.5% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 10.8%; at 6-9 years it was 13.3%. The median Volkswagen E-Golf tested in 2025 was 6 years old with 40,185 miles.
Is the Volkswagen E-Golf getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.7 points to 12.4% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 3 years. Ageing alone would predict about 4.2 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 E-Golf trim together. Year-on-year figures come from the same DVSA extracts for 2026 and earlier years. Full method on the pass rates hub.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular E-Golf?
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.