301,724 tests in 2025
Volkswagen Transporter reliability and MOT pass rate
72.8% passed first time. The 27.2% fail rate is 4.6 points worse than the all-car average, on a median example 12 years old with 106,018 miles.
Pass rate
72.8%
22.6% of all cars failed; 27.2% of these did.
Fixed on the day
4.8%
Passed after a defect was put right during the visit.
Median at test
106,018 mi
12 years old.
Fail rate by age
| Age at test | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 3-5 years | 41,869 | 14.7% |
| 6-9 years | 73,610 | 19.6% |
| 10-13 years | 57,045 | 25.8% |
| 14+ years | 128,818 | 36.3% |
What the Transporter 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.
- Suspension1,401 dangerous45%
- Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment601 dangerous32.8%
- Brakes8,335 dangerous31.1%
- Body, chassis, structure1,044 dangerous19.1%
- Tyres14,998 dangerous18.7%
- Visibility68 dangerous15.1%
- Noise, emissions and leaks223 dangerous13.2%
- Steering361 dangerous10.7%
Is the Transporter getting worse?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 27.4% from 2022 to 2025, against a rising rate across all cars.
| Year | Tests | Median age | Fail rate | All cars | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 279,374 | — | 26.8% | 22.5% | |
| 2023 | 292,123 | — | 27.1% | 22.8% | |
| 2024 | 274,832 | — | 27.4% | 23.2% | |
| 2025 | 296,780 | — | 27.4% | 22.6% |
Fail rate is first attempts at class 4 tests. Median age is the age of a typical Transporter 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 Transporter in 2025, counted by how many tests each one appeared on.
- 1Coil spring: fractured or broken9,814 tests
- 2Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt7,518 tests
- 3Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn6,550 tests
- 4Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction5,268 tests
- 5Ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt5,241 tests
- 6Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm5,160 tests
- 7Position lamp: not working5,034 tests
- 8Ball joint: ball joint excessively worn4,862 tests
What wears out first
Advisories are the tester flagging wear that is still legal. A typical Transporter collects 2.92 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 1.6mm40,943 tests
- 2Engine oil leaks: leaking excessively from engine25,479 tests
- 3Brake discs: in such a condition that it is seriously weakened25,260 tests
- 4Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn24,945 tests
- 5Rigid brake pipes: excessively corroded21,321 tests
- 6Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick21,026 tests
- 7Condition: has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure15,833 tests
- 8Coil spring: corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened13,636 tests
Questions
What is the Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate?
72.8% of the 301,724 Volkswagen Transporter first-attempt MOTs in 2025 passed. The fail rate of 27.2% compares with 22.6% across all cars. A further 4.8% passed after a defect was fixed during the test visit.
What does a Volkswagen Transporter usually fail on?
The single most common failure is "Coil spring: fractured or broken", recorded on 9,814 failed tests, followed by "Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt" and "Pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn". By section, suspension appears in 45% of failures, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment appears in 32.8% of failures, brakes appears in 31.1% of failures.
Does age change the odds?
Sharply. At 3 to 5 years old the fail rate was 14.7%; at 14+ years it was 36.3%. The median Volkswagen Transporter tested in 2025 was 12 years old with 106,018 miles.
Is the Volkswagen Transporter getting less reliable?
The fail rate rose 0.6 points to 27.4% 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 Transporter 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 15 safety recalls naming the Volkswagen Transporter: Volkswagen Transporter recalls.
Other Volkswagen models
Checking a particular Transporter?
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.