Vauxhall Astra vs Volkswagen Golf
The Volkswagen Golf has the better MOT record of the two — 18.3% fail rate versus 22.3% for the Vauxhall Astra across comparable years. The biggest single difference is visibility, where the Astra records failures noticeably more often.
22.3%
Astra fail rate
18.3%
Golf fail rate
4.02pp
Difference
Side by side
| Metric | Vauxhall Astra | Volkswagen Golf |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests analysed | 4,357,149 | 5,426,375 |
| Pass rate | 77.7% | 81.8% |
| Fail rate | 22.3% | 18.3% |
Where they differ
| Category | Astra | Golf |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | 4.5% | 0.0% |
| Body, structure & corrosion | 0.0% | 3.3% |
| Lighting & signalling | 10.6% | 7.5% |
| Suspension | 10.0% | 7.9% |
| Brakes | 7.3% | 5.4% |
| Tyres | 6.2% | 5.5% |
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.