22,187 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Id3 reliability and MOT pass rate
90.6% passed first time. The 9.4% fail rate is 13.2 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 4 years old with 30,463 miles.
Pass rate
90.6%
22.6% of all cars failed; 9.4% of these did.
Fixed on the day
1.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
30,463 mi
4 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 21,895 | 9.4% |
| 6-9 years | 0 | — |
| 10-13 years | 0 | — |
| 14+ years | 0 | — |
What the Id3 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.
- Tyres1,281 dangerous71.4%
- Suspension14 dangerous11.3%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment1 dangerous11%
- Visibility9.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems4.9%
- Brakes8 dangerous4.5%
- Identification of the vehicle1.1%
- Body, chassis, structure0.7%
Is the Id3 getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.7 points to 9.4% from 2023 to 2025, against a falling rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4,315 | — | 6.7% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 11,282 | — | 8.5% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 19,326 | — | 9.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Id3 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 Id3 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 cords662 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed511 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm325 tests
- 4Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak105 tests
- 5Rear fog lamp: not working91 tests
- 6Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn74 tests
- 7Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively61 tests
- 8Headlamp aim: too high56 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Id3 collects 1.94 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 1.6mm4,025 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm729 tests
- 3Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt512 tests
- 4Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords460 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure449 tests
- 6Non-component advisories: Nail in tyre374 tests
- 7Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak222 tests
- 8Linkage ball joints: ball joint excessively worn211 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Id3 MOT pass rate?
90.6% of the 22,187 Volkswagen Id3 first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 9.4% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 1.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Id3 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 662 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, tyres appears in 71.4% of failures, suspension appears in 11.3% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 11% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.4%; at 3-5 years it was 9.4%. The median Volkswagen Id3 tested in 2025 was 4 years old with 30,463 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Id3 getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.7 points to 9.4% from 2023 to 2025, against a falling rate across all cars.
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 Id3 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 Id3?
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.