Volkswagen Cc MOT pass rate & common failures

86,413 MOT tests on the Volkswagen Cc (2001–2024) give it an 81.8% pass rate. That is 2.5 percentage points worse than executive cars of a similar age, which fail at 15.7%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.

82%
Pass rate
86,413
MOT tests analysed
18.2%
Fail rate
worse than
vs executive cars of similar age
2001–2024
Model years covered

Best and worst Cc years

Strongest year
2017

86.9% pass rate from 1,393 tests.

See the 2017 report
Weakest year
2011

78.0% pass rate from 1,539 tests.

See the 2011 report

Ranked across Cc 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

Not every year is equal — 86.9% of 2017 examples pass against 78.0% of 2011 ones.

No single area dominates — suspension (8.4%) and tyres (7.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.

At component level the recurring items are pins and bushes, tread depth and coil spring — pins and bushes alone was recorded 4,482 times.

Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 8.8% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 20.6% once past 150k — 2.3× the risk.

Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 3.9pp more often than petrol ones (18.3% vs 14.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.

Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 27.6% of tests without failing them.

The trend is worsening — 16.5% of tests failed in 2021 against 20.0% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.

How it compares

Fail rate vs benchmark (lower is better) Volkswagen Cc 18.2% executive cars avg 15.7%
Fail rate for the Volkswagen Cc against executive cars of a similar age.

By model year

Every Cc model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.

Volkswagen Cc MOT results by model year
Year Tests Pass rate Fail rate Most common failure
2008 34 82.3% 17.6% Tyres
2009 184 74.5% 25.5% Suspension
2010 418 79.0% 21.1% Suspension
2011 1,539 78.0% 22.0% Suspension
2012 14,483 80.5% 19.4% Suspension
2013 20,091 80.1% 19.9% Suspension
2014 21,480 80.9% 19.1% Suspension
2015 16,267 83.1% 16.9% Tyres
2016 10,506 86.3% 13.7% Tyres
2017 1,393 86.9% 13.1% Tyres

Most common failures (all years)

Most common MOT failure areas — Volkswagen Cc
# Category % of tests affected Tests
1 Suspension 8.4% 7,224
2 Tyres 7.8% 6,716
3 Lighting & signalling 5.7% 4,962
4 Brakes 3.1% 2,684
5 Visibility 2.6% 2,273
6 Emissions & environmental 1.4% 1,214
7 Seat belts & restraints 1.1% 991
8 Body, structure & corrosion 1.0% 838
Share of tests failing on each category Suspension 8.4% Tyres 7.8% Lighting & signalling 5.7% Brakes 3.1% Visibility 2.6% Emissions & environmental 1.4%
Percentage of tests with at least one failure recorded in each category, across all model years.

Most common specific failures

The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.

Most frequently recorded failure items — Volkswagen Cc
#Failure itemTimes recorded
1Pins and bushes4,482
2Tread depth3,398
3Coil spring2,447
4Headlamp aim2,355
5Brake pads1,362
6Headlamp1,335
7Shock absorbers1,307
8Washers1,219

Top advisory categories

Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.

Most common MOT advisories — Volkswagen Cc
# Category % of tests with advisory Tests
1 Tyres 27.6% 23,874
2 Suspension 25.0% 21,599
3 Brakes 19.5% 16,817
4 Other defects 6.6% 5,690
5 Visibility 3.0% 2,631
6 Body, structure & corrosion 1.8% 1,579

Failure rate by mileage

Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.

MOT fail rate by recorded mileage 0-30k 8.8% 30-60k 14.4% 60-90k 18.0% 90-120k 19.9% 120-150k 20.2% 150k+ 20.6%
MOT fail rate by recorded mileage band.
Fail rate by recorded mileage — Volkswagen Cc
Mileage band Tests Fail rate
0-30k 2,162 8.8%
30-60k 14,967 14.4%
60-90k 25,232 18.0%
90-120k 21,806 19.9%
120-150k 12,710 20.2%
150k+ 9,526 20.6%

Failure rate by age

MOT fail rate by vehicle age at test 4 yrs 8.5% 5 yrs 11.6% 6 yrs 13.2% 7 yrs 15.9% 8 yrs 17.4% 9 yrs 18.6% 10 yrs 19.7% 11 yrs 20.3% 12 yrs 20.8% 13 yrs 21.3% 14 yrs 22.5% 15 yrs 21.1% 16 yrs 25.7%
How the Cc's MOT fail rate climbs as the cars get older.

By fuel type

Fail rate by fuel type — Volkswagen Cc
Fuel Tests Fail rate
Diesel 84,344 18.3%
Petrol 2,069 14.4%

Trend over time

Fail rate by dataset year — Volkswagen Cc
Dataset year Tests Fail rate
2021 17,832 16.5%
2022 17,640 17.2%
2023 17,511 18.5%
2024 16,960 19.3%
2025 16,470 20.0%

What to check before buying a Volkswagen Cc

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 Cc?

81.8% of the 86,413 Volkswagen Cc MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 18.2% fail rate, across model years 2001–2024.

What does the Volkswagen Cc most often fail its MOT on?

Suspension, recorded in 8.4% of tests, then tyres (7.8%).

Which Cc years are best and worst for MOT results?

2017 has the best pass rate at 86.9% and 2011 the weakest at 78.0%, from 1,393 and 1,539 tests respectively.

How much does mileage affect Cc MOT results?

Fail rates run at 8.8% for cars in the 0-30k band and 20.6% for 150k+, a 11.8-point difference.

Is the petrol or diesel Cc more reliable at MOT time?

On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 14.4% of the time against 18.3% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.

Methodology & source. Based on 86,413 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.

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