2,421 tests in 2025
Volkswagen E-Up reliability and MOT pass rate
92.9% passed first time. The 7.1% fail rate is 15.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 4 years old with 17,228 miles.
Electric versions only, by DVSA’s fuel record for each test. Petrol, diesel and hybrid versions are on the Volkswagen Up page.
Pass rate
92.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 7.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
17,228 mi
4 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,210 | 6.7% |
| 6-9 years | 66 | — |
| 10-13 years | 125 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the E-Up 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.
- Tyres62 dangerous56.4%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment19.2%
- Brakes4 dangerous15.7%
- Visibility9.3%
- Suspension8.7%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.7%
- Identification of the vehicle1.2%
- Body, chassis, structure0.6%
Is the E-Up getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 6.6% from 2024 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,301 | 3 | 6% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 2,238 | 4 | 6.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical E-Up 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-Up in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords49 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm17 tests
- 3Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure15 tests
- 4Condition: has ply or cords exposed13 tests
- 5Service brake performance: excessively binding9 tests
- 6Rear fog lamp: not working7 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively7 tests
- 8Headlamp aim: too high5 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical E-Up collects 2.11 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.
- 1Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure334 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm277 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened53 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm51 tests
- 5Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre36 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords32 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt27 tests
- 8Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn27 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen E-Up MOT pass rate?
92.9% of the 2,421 Volkswagen E-Up first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 7.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen E-Up usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords", recorded on 49 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure". By section, tyres appears in 56.4% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 19.2% of failures, brakes appears in 15.7% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 6.7%; at 3-5 years it was 6.7%. The median Volkswagen E-Up tested in 2025 was 4 years old with 17,228 miles.
Is the Volkswagen E-Up getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 6.6% from 2024 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1 point). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
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-Up 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-Up?
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.