Volkswagen Amarok MOT pass rate & common failures
111,802 MOT tests on the Volkswagen Amarok (1987–2023) give it an 84.5% pass rate. Against pick-up trucks of a similar age (18.3% fail rate), the Amarok comes out 2.8pp better. Its most common failure areas are brakes, lighting & signalling and suspension.
Best and worst Amarok years
Ranked across Amarok years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2020 (89.5% pass rate); the weakest is 2011 (77.5%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — brakes (7.2%) and lighting & signalling (6.9%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, rbt (sp) and service brake performance — headlamp aim alone was recorded 3,047 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 22.2% versus 6.2%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 16.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 13.6% of tests failed in 2021 against 17.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
By model year
Every Amarok model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 3,677 | 77.5% | 22.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2012 | 7,835 | 78.3% | 21.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 11,134 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Brakes |
| 2014 | 13,655 | 82.0% | 17.9% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 16,681 | 83.1% | 16.9% | Brakes |
| 2016 | 14,506 | 85.7% | 14.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 12,792 | 86.0% | 14.0% | Brakes |
| 2018 | 15,535 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Brakes |
| 2019 | 12,272 | 89.3% | 10.7% | Brakes |
| 2020 | 3,683 | 89.5% | 10.5% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 7.2% | 8,078 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 6.9% | 7,763 |
| 3 | Suspension | 4.3% | 4,807 |
| 4 | Tyres | 2.6% | 2,876 |
| 5 | Emissions & environmental | 2.4% | 2,725 |
| 6 | Visibility | 2.4% | 2,622 |
| 7 | Steering | 1.5% | 1,691 |
| 8 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.9% | 968 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Headlamp aim | 3,047 |
| 2 | Rbt (sp) | 2,667 |
| 3 | Service brake performance | 2,578 |
| 4 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 2,433 |
| 5 | Pins and bushes | 2,353 |
| 6 | Shock absorbers | 2,130 |
| 7 | Brake pads | 2,097 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 1,819 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 16.6% | 18,592 |
| 2 | Suspension | 13.0% | 14,573 |
| 3 | Brakes | 12.7% | 14,195 |
| 4 | Other defects | 5.9% | 6,607 |
| 5 | Visibility | 5.4% | 6,060 |
| 6 | Lighting & signalling | 4.8% | 5,337 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 6,007 | 6.2% |
| 30-60k | 25,399 | 10.3% |
| 60-90k | 31,568 | 14.9% |
| 90-120k | 24,498 | 18.0% |
| 120-150k | 13,998 | 20.8% |
| 150k+ | 10,314 | 22.2% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19,717 | 13.6% |
| 2022 | 22,680 | 14.2% |
| 2023 | 23,718 | 15.3% |
| 2024 | 23,474 | 16.9% |
| 2025 | 22,213 | 17.2% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Amarok
- Brakes (7.2% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
- Lighting & signalling (6.9% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (4.3% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Volkswagen Amarok?
84.5% of the 111,802 Volkswagen Amarok MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 15.5% fail rate, across model years 1987–2023.
What does the Volkswagen Amarok most often fail its MOT on?
Brakes, recorded in 7.2% of tests, then lighting & signalling (6.9%).
Which Amarok years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 89.5% and 2011 the weakest at 77.5%, from 3,683 and 3,677 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Amarok MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.2% for cars in the 0-30k band and 22.2% for 150k+, a 16.0-point difference.
Methodology & source. Based on 111,802 MOT tests. 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.