Ford Ka vs Volkswagen Up
The Volkswagen Up has the better MOT record of the two — 11.9% fail rate versus 21.6% for the Ford Ka across comparable years. The biggest single difference is suspension, where the Ka records failures noticeably more often.
21.6%
Ka fail rate
11.9%
Up fail rate
9.74pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | Ford Ka | Volkswagen Up |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 1,161,860 | 676,096 |
| Pass rate | 78.4% | 88.1% |
| Fail rate | 21.6% | 11.9% |
Where they differ
| Category | Ka | Up |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11.9% | 2.1% |
| Lighting & signalling | 9.2% | 5.4% |
| Brakes | 6.0% | 3.7% |
| Tyres | 4.9% | 3.4% |
| Visibility | 4.6% | 3.6% |
Methodology & source. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.