10,757 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Jetta reliability and MOT pass rate
70.5% passed first time. The 29.5% fail rate is 6.9 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 14 years old with 109,778 miles.
Pass rate
70.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 29.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
5.7%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
109,778 mi
14 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 14 | — |
| 6-9 years | 1,014 | 22.7% |
| 10-13 years | 3,762 | 28.1% |
| 14+ years | 5,963 | 31.6% |
What the Jetta 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.
- Suspension81 dangerous55.2%
- Brakes331 dangerous27.5%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment3 dangerous25.8%
- Tyres814 dangerous22.8%
- Body, chassis, structure12 dangerous20.6%
- Noise, emissions and leaks5 dangerous12.5%
- Visibility1 dangerous10.1%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems9%
Is the Jetta getting worse?
The fail rate rose 1.1 points to 29.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.8 points). Read it as the fleet getting older rather than the model changing.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 17,113 | 13 | 28.4% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 15,430 | 14 | 29.6% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 12,001 | 14 | 29.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 10,755 | 14 | 29.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Jetta 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 Jetta in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken626 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn411 tests
- 3Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt335 tests
- 4Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm258 tests
- 5Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt255 tests
- 6Rbt (sp): efficiency below requirements238 tests
- 7Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction230 tests
- 8Condition: has ply or cords exposed219 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Jetta collects 2.98 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 1.6mm2,098 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,519 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened1,366 tests
- 4Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,001 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure857 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine844 tests
- 7Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick710 tests
- 8Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened666 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?
70.5% of the 10,757 Volkswagen Jetta first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 29.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 5.7% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Jetta usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 626 failed tests, followed by "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn" and "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt". By section, suspension appears in 55.2% of failures, brakes appears in 27.5% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 25.8% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 21.4%; at 14+ years it was 31.6%. The median Volkswagen Jetta tested in 2025 was 14 years old with 109,778 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Jetta getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 1.1 points to 29.5% from 2022 to 2025 while the median one tested aged 1 year, which is about what ageing alone predicts (1.8 points). 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 Jetta 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 6 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Jetta: Volkswagen Jetta recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Jetta?
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.