Volkswagen Touran MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 25 model years and 480,991 tests, the Volkswagen Touran passes its MOT 78.0% of the time. Against MPVs of a similar age (23.2% fail rate), the Touran comes out 1.3pp better. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and tyres.
Best and worst Touran years
Ranked across Touran 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: 2021 cars pass 91.5% of the time while 2004 cars manage 70.3%, a 21.3-point spread.
No single area dominates — suspension (11.1%) and lighting & signalling (8.1%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are tread depth, coil spring and pins and bushes — tread depth alone was recorded 18,399 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 8.9% in the 0-30k band and 27.3% in the 150k+ band, a 18.4-point spread — more than double.
The petrol cars hold up better: 17.4% fail against 22.7% for diesel, a 5.3-point gap across 480,984 tests.
Suspension is the most common advisory, noted on 31.9% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every Touran model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2,721 | 70.8% | 29.2% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 17,679 | 70.3% | 29.7% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 26,460 | 70.4% | 29.6% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 34,181 | 70.5% | 29.5% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 42,645 | 73.0% | 27.0% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 37,069 | 72.9% | 27.1% | Suspension |
| 2009 | 37,737 | 73.4% | 26.6% | Suspension |
| 2010 | 34,435 | 74.1% | 25.9% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 38,191 | 78.3% | 21.7% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 35,581 | 79.5% | 20.5% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 32,716 | 80.4% | 19.6% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 29,538 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Tyres |
| 2015 | 22,659 | 83.8% | 16.2% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 20,498 | 88.1% | 11.9% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 24,243 | 88.2% | 11.8% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 21,313 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 12,688 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 7,656 | 90.8% | 9.2% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 2,434 | 91.5% | 8.5% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 467 | 90.4% | 9.6% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 44 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Lighting & signalling |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 11.1% | 53,336 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 8.1% | 38,950 |
| 3 | Tyres | 7.2% | 34,859 |
| 4 | Brakes | 5.8% | 28,018 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.8% | 18,444 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 3.8% | 18,280 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 3.5% | 16,719 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 1.7% | 8,343 |
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 | 18,399 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 17,023 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 16,595 |
| 4 | Linkage ball joint dust cover | 15,417 |
| 5 | Joints | 14,437 |
| 6 | Headlamp aim | 14,304 |
| 7 | Ball joint dust cover | 11,554 |
| 8 | Stop lamp | 10,647 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 31.9% | 153,350 |
| 2 | Tyres | 31.1% | 149,408 |
| 3 | Brakes | 21.9% | 105,437 |
| 4 | Other defects | 13.3% | 63,828 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 8.2% | 39,286 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 7.3% | 34,993 |
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 | 26,350 | 8.9% |
| 30-60k | 69,368 | 13.0% |
| 60-90k | 90,049 | 19.1% |
| 90-120k | 104,463 | 24.3% |
| 120-150k | 94,808 | 26.8% |
| 150k+ | 95,423 | 27.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 410,443 | 22.7% |
| Petrol | 70,541 | 17.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 104,319 | 22.6% |
| 2022 | 101,621 | 21.9% |
| 2023 | 98,502 | 22.1% |
| 2024 | 91,586 | 21.6% |
| 2025 | 84,963 | 21.5% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Touran
- Suspension (11.1% 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 (8.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (7.2% 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 Touran?
78.0% of the 480,991 Volkswagen Touran MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 21.9% fail rate, across model years 2001–2025.
What does the Volkswagen Touran most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 11.1% of tests, then lighting & signalling (8.1%).
Which Touran years are best and worst for MOT results?
2021 has the best pass rate at 91.5% and 2004 the weakest at 70.3%, from 2,434 and 17,679 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Touran MOT results?
Fail rates run at 8.9% for cars in the 0-30k band and 27.3% for 150k+, a 18.4-point difference.
Is the petrol or diesel Touran more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the petrol fails 17.4% of the time against 22.7% for the diesel. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 480,991 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.