Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate & common failures
The Volkswagen Passat appears in 1,250,701 MOT tests spanning model years 1981–2025, and 79.9% of them passed. That is effectively the same as large family cars of a similar age (20.8% fail rate), so the MOT record here is unremarkable in either direction. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Passat years
Ranked across Passat 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
Build year matters more than the headline suggests: 2020 cars pass 90.6% of the time while 2000 cars manage 70.7%, a 20.0-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (9.5%) and lighting & signalling (7.5%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, headlamp aim and pins and bushes — tread depth alone was recorded 52,820 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.0% in the 0-30k band and 24.3% in the 150k+ band, a 16.4-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 8.8pp more often than hybrid ones (20.4% vs 11.6%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 28.7% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Passat model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | 53 | 75.5% | 24.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 66 | 86.4% | 13.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 50 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Brakes |
| 1989 | 72 | 84.7% | 15.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 106 | 77.4% | 22.6% | Brakes |
| 1991 | 134 | 75.4% | 24.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 149 | 77.2% | 22.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 189 | 74.6% | 25.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 248 | 69.8% | 30.2% | Suspension |
| 1995 | 248 | 71.0% | 29.0% | Suspension |
| 1996 | 390 | 73.9% | 26.2% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 1997 | 786 | 72.7% | 27.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 2,488 | 71.5% | 28.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 3,531 | 71.2% | 28.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 4,392 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 9,047 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 15,543 | 72.7% | 27.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 23,970 | 72.9% | 27.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 27,992 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 35,222 | 73.6% | 26.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 50,152 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 69,461 | 73.7% | 26.3% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 73,831 | 74.8% | 25.2% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 82,516 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 79,755 | 75.9% | 24.1% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 111,275 | 77.6% | 22.4% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 93,294 | 78.4% | 21.6% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 79,022 | 79.8% | 20.2% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 93,818 | 81.3% | 18.7% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 93,887 | 85.3% | 14.7% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 88,790 | 86.8% | 13.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 80,941 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 63,334 | 88.5% | 11.5% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 34,118 | 89.5% | 10.5% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 20,031 | 90.6% | 9.4% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 8,537 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 2,868 | 90.5% | 9.5% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 308 | 95.5% | 4.5% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 9.5% | 118,910 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 7.5% | 93,511 |
| 3 | Tyres | 7.0% | 87,604 |
| 4 | Brakes | 4.5% | 55,738 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.5% | 43,755 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 3.2% | 39,594 |
| 7 | Visibility | 2.5% | 31,544 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.4% | 18,045 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tread depth | 52,820 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 50,533 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 45,927 |
| 4 | Coil spring | 43,294 |
| 5 | Joints | 27,611 |
| 6 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 26,532 |
| 7 | Shock absorbers | 25,238 |
| 8 | Headlamp | 24,881 |
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 | 28.7% | 359,231 |
| 2 | Suspension | 27.9% | 349,258 |
| 3 | Brakes | 22.7% | 284,032 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.8% | 122,647 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 7.0% | 86,954 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 5.7% | 70,872 |
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 | 34,855 | 8.0% |
| 30-60k | 142,697 | 11.5% |
| 60-90k | 220,521 | 16.4% |
| 90-120k | 261,804 | 21.0% |
| 120-150k | 248,217 | 23.2% |
| 150k+ | 342,264 | 24.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,141,470 | 20.4% |
| Petrol | 82,473 | 18.7% |
| Hybrid | 26,730 | 11.6% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 282,666 | 20.8% |
| 2022 | 267,412 | 20.0% |
| 2023 | 252,896 | 20.0% |
| 2024 | 233,001 | 19.8% |
| 2025 | 214,726 | 19.7% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Passat
- Suspension (9.5% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (7.5% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (7.0% of tests): Usually a quick, known-cost fix, but check tread, age and uneven wear (which can hint at alignment or suspension issues). Typical repair: £50–£120 per tyre.
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 Passat?
79.9% of the 1,250,701 Volkswagen Passat MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 20.1% fail rate, across model years 1981–2025.
What does the Volkswagen Passat most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 9.5% of tests, then lighting & signalling (7.5%).
Which Passat years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 90.6% and 2000 the weakest at 70.7%, from 20,031 and 4,392 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Passat MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.3% for 150k+, a 16.4-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Passat more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 11.6% of the time against 20.4% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,250,701 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.