236,986 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Tiguan reliability and MOT pass rate
83.9% passed first time. The 16.1% fail rate is 6.5 points better than the all-car average, on a median example 7 years old with 61,500 miles.
Pass rate
83.9%
22.6% of all cars failed; 16.1% of these did.
Fixed on the day
2.6%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
61,500 mi
7 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 61,316 | 9.3% |
| 6-9 years | 101,355 | 12.3% |
| 10-13 years | 52,360 | 25% |
| 14+ years | 20,947 | 32.5% |
What the Tiguan 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.
- Suspension1,110 dangerous44.4%
- Tyres13,621 dangerous33.8%
- Brakes5,719 dangerous19.9%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment26 dangerous13%
- Noise, emissions and leaks13 dangerous10.2%
- Visibility18 dangerous8.5%
- Body, chassis, structure93 dangerous5.9%
- Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems1 dangerous3.2%
Is the Tiguan getting worse?
The fail rate rose 2.2 points to 16.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 193,827 | — | 14.3% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 214,979 | — | 15.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 198,976 | — | 15.9% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 220,519 | — | 16.5% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Tiguan 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 Tiguan in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken6,436 tests
- 2Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm5,703 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn5,314 tests
- 4Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick4,263 tests
- 5Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction3,485 tests
- 6Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords3,345 tests
- 7Condition: has ply or cords exposed2,534 tests
- 8Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively1,980 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Tiguan collects 2.59 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 1.6mm38,701 tests
- 2Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened26,910 tests
- 3Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick24,813 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn21,981 tests
- 5Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure18,198 tests
- 6Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak11,693 tests
- 7Non-component advisories: Child Seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt10,128 tests
- 8Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened8,203 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Tiguan MOT pass rate?
83.9% of the 236,986 Volkswagen Tiguan first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 16.1% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 2.6% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Tiguan usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 6,436 failed tests, followed by "Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" and "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn". By section, suspension appears in 44.4% of failures, tyres appears in 33.8% of failures, brakes appears in 19.9% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 9.3%; at 14+ years it was 32.5%. The median Volkswagen Tiguan tested in 2025 was 7 years old with 61,500 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Tiguan getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 2.2 points to 16.5% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising 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 Tiguan 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 25 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Tiguan: Volkswagen Tiguan recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Tiguan?
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.