32,950 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Sharan reliability and MOT pass rate
80.5% passed first time. The 19.5% fail rate is 3.1 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 9 years old with 104,962 miles.
Pass rate
80.5%
22.6% of all cars failed; 19.5% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.9%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
104,962 mi
9 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 2,609 | 12% |
| 6-9 years | 15,539 | 12.6% |
| 10-13 years | 9,377 | 24.1% |
| 14+ years | 5,411 | 35.1% |
What the Sharan 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.
- Suspension158 dangerous45.3%
- Tyres2,522 dangerous34.7%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment14 dangerous25.6%
- Brakes766 dangerous20.5%
- Body, chassis, structure62 dangerous13.7%
- Noise, emissions and leaks9 dangerous12.9%
- Visibility4 dangerous8.3%
- Steering16 dangerous5.7%
Is the Sharan getting worse?
The fail rate fell 1.2 points to 19.6% 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 | 37,701 | 7 | 20.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 37,042 | 8 | 20.4% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 32,401 | 8 | 20% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 32,489 | 9 | 19.6% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Sharan 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 Sharan in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn1,237 tests
- 2Condition: has ply or cords exposed867 tests
- 3Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm689 tests
- 4Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction591 tests
- 5Coil spring: fractured or broken501 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick494 tests
- 7Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt448 tests
- 8Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords438 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Sharan collects 2.85 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 1.6mm6,473 tests
- 2Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn5,411 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened2,839 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick2,656 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure1,679 tests
- 6Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine1,638 tests
- 7Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened1,253 tests
- 8Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened1,215 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Sharan MOT pass rate?
80.5% of the 32,950 Volkswagen Sharan first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 19.5% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.9% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Sharan usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn", recorded on 1,237 failed tests, followed by "Condition: has ply or cords exposed" and "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm". By section, suspension appears in 45.3% of failures, tyres appears in 34.7% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 25.6% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 12%; at 14+ years it was 35.1%. The median Volkswagen Sharan tested in 2025 was 9 years old with 104,962 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Sharan getting less reliable?
The fail rate fell 1.2 points to 19.6% 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 Sharan 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 10 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Sharan: Volkswagen Sharan recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Sharan?
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.