Volkswagen Tiguan MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 22 model years and 1,231,111 tests, the Volkswagen Tiguan passes its MOT 86.7% of the time. Against mid-size SUVs of a similar age (14.6% fail rate), the Tiguan comes out 1.3pp better. Its most common failure areas are suspension, tyres and lighting & signalling.
Best and worst Tiguan years
Ranked across Tiguan 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 2021 (91.8% pass rate); the weakest is 2009 (75.7%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (5.6%) and tyres (4.8%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, pins and bushes and coil spring — tread depth alone was recorded 40,598 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 24.4% versus 6.9%.
Split by fuel, diesel examples fail 8.2pp more often than hybrid ones (14.5% vs 6.4%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: tyres was flagged on 24.5% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Tiguan model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 34 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Body, structure & corrosion |
| 2007 | 52 | 78.8% | 21.1% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 29,129 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 41,349 | 75.7% | 24.3% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 44,225 | 75.8% | 24.2% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 44,073 | 77.5% | 22.5% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 57,122 | 79.4% | 20.6% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 74,762 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 91,822 | 83.5% | 16.5% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 116,019 | 85.9% | 14.1% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 104,321 | 89.0% | 10.9% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 146,037 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 165,402 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 159,552 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 82,073 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 51,720 | 91.8% | 8.2% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 22,085 | 91.1% | 8.9% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 1,281 | 91.2% | 8.8% | Tyres |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 5.6% | 68,678 |
| 2 | Tyres | 4.8% | 59,451 |
| 3 | Lighting & signalling | 3.0% | 36,458 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.7% | 32,890 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.0% | 24,725 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 1.6% | 19,622 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.8% | 9,553 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.5% | 6,580 |
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 | 40,598 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 37,381 |
| 3 | Coil spring | 29,552 |
| 4 | Brake pads | 21,611 |
| 5 | Wipers | 21,571 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 18,997 |
| 7 | Malfunction indicator lamp | 18,133 |
| 8 | Brake discs | 11,085 |
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 | 24.5% | 301,233 |
| 2 | Brakes | 20.0% | 245,566 |
| 3 | Suspension | 16.9% | 208,316 |
| 4 | Other defects | 9.0% | 110,268 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.3% | 40,626 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.9% | 24,006 |
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 | 223,219 | 6.9% |
| 30-60k | 447,707 | 10.4% |
| 60-90k | 295,901 | 15.0% |
| 90-120k | 160,039 | 20.6% |
| 120-150k | 71,623 | 23.4% |
| 150k+ | 32,524 | 24.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 976,799 | 14.5% |
| Petrol | 252,714 | 8.8% |
| Hybrid | 1,588 | 6.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 186,352 | 13.3% |
| 2022 | 224,966 | 12.6% |
| 2023 | 252,115 | 13.2% |
| 2024 | 274,122 | 13.5% |
| 2025 | 293,556 | 13.9% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Tiguan
- Suspension (5.6% 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.
- Tyres (4.8% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (3.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
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 Tiguan?
86.7% of the 1,231,111 Volkswagen Tiguan MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 13.3% fail rate, across model years 2004–2025.
What does the Volkswagen Tiguan most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 5.6% of tests, then tyres (4.8%).
Which Tiguan years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 91.8% and 2009 the weakest at 75.7%, from 51,720 and 41,349 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Tiguan MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 24.4% for 150k+, a 17.6-point difference.
Is the hybrid or diesel Tiguan more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the hybrid fails 6.4% of the time against 14.5% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,231,111 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.