Volkswagen Transporter MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 46 model years and 1,705,562 tests, the Volkswagen Transporter passes its MOT 77.6% of the time. Vans of a similar age fail 25.1% of the time, so this is 2.6pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, suspension and brakes.
Best and worst Transporter years
Ranked across Transporter 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 88.1% of the time while 1983 cars manage 67.8%, a 20.3-point spread.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (11.0%) and suspension (10.0%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, coil spring and pins and bushes — headlamp aim alone was recorded 80,727 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 10.0% in the 0-30k band and 29.3% in the 150k+ band, a 19.3-point spread — more than double.
Split by fuel, petrol examples fail 3.5pp more often than diesel ones (25.8% vs 22.3%) — worth weighing if you have a choice.
Advisories point at the next bill rather than this one: brakes was flagged on 25.6% of tests without failing them.
How it compares
By model year
Every Transporter model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 312 | 66.7% | 33.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1981 | 654 | 67.1% | 32.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1982 | 1,198 | 68.2% | 31.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 2,011 | 67.8% | 32.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1984 | 3,073 | 71.8% | 28.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 3,504 | 70.8% | 29.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1986 | 4,901 | 72.2% | 27.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 4,179 | 72.4% | 27.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 5,452 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 7,346 | 73.5% | 26.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 7,161 | 74.3% | 25.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 5,049 | 73.1% | 26.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 7,135 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 7,007 | 68.5% | 31.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 12,078 | 69.7% | 30.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 14,052 | 69.4% | 30.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 17,084 | 68.9% | 31.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 20,395 | 68.7% | 31.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1998 | 25,596 | 69.3% | 30.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1999 | 27,817 | 69.6% | 30.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2000 | 31,702 | 69.1% | 30.9% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2001 | 43,660 | 69.5% | 30.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2002 | 43,382 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2003 | 47,355 | 70.6% | 29.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2004 | 62,260 | 70.7% | 29.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2005 | 67,664 | 71.3% | 28.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2006 | 76,570 | 71.7% | 28.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2007 | 89,051 | 73.3% | 26.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2008 | 83,774 | 74.0% | 26.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 59,409 | 75.0% | 25.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 69,039 | 76.8% | 23.2% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 75,884 | 78.5% | 21.5% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 76,789 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Suspension |
| 2013 | 87,355 | 81.6% | 18.4% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 96,677 | 81.2% | 18.8% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 107,620 | 82.5% | 17.5% | Suspension |
| 2016 | 116,427 | 84.3% | 15.7% | Suspension |
| 2017 | 115,443 | 84.8% | 15.2% | Suspension |
| 2018 | 110,666 | 86.6% | 13.4% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2019 | 61,826 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2020 | 4,864 | 88.1% | 11.9% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 1,590 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2022 | 481 | 90.0% | 10.0% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 62 | 91.9% | 8.1% | Brakes |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 11.0% | 187,918 |
| 2 | Suspension | 10.0% | 169,874 |
| 3 | Brakes | 7.4% | 126,790 |
| 4 | Visibility | 4.7% | 79,830 |
| 5 | Body, structure & corrosion | 4.5% | 77,522 |
| 6 | Tyres | 4.3% | 74,145 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 3.4% | 57,076 |
| 8 | Steering | 2.5% | 42,985 |
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 | 80,727 |
| 2 | Coil spring | 49,509 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 49,446 |
| 4 | Washers | 47,475 |
| 5 | Position lamp | 45,553 |
| 6 | Wipers | 40,887 |
| 7 | Joints | 40,043 |
| 8 | Tread depth | 38,464 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brakes | 25.6% | 436,288 |
| 2 | Suspension | 24.3% | 413,837 |
| 3 | Tyres | 20.7% | 352,740 |
| 4 | Lighting & signalling | 11.7% | 199,650 |
| 5 | Other defects | 10.4% | 177,352 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 9.3% | 159,062 |
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 | 85,419 | 10.0% |
| 30-60k | 248,976 | 14.1% |
| 60-90k | 290,248 | 18.1% |
| 90-120k | 284,774 | 22.1% |
| 120-150k | 256,214 | 25.5% |
| 150k+ | 538,808 | 29.3% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 1,648,780 | 22.3% |
| Petrol | 56,695 | 25.8% |
| Gas/LPG | 53 | 20.8% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 329,120 | 22.0% |
| 2022 | 344,348 | 21.7% |
| 2023 | 345,659 | 22.4% |
| 2024 | 344,949 | 22.9% |
| 2025 | 341,486 | 23.2% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Transporter
- Lighting & signalling (11.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Suspension (10.0% 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.
- Brakes (7.4% 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.
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 Transporter?
77.6% of the 1,705,562 Volkswagen Transporter MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 22.4% fail rate, across model years 1980–2025.
What does the Volkswagen Transporter most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 11.0% of tests, then suspension (10.0%).
Which Transporter years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 88.1% and 1983 the weakest at 67.8%, from 4,864 and 2,011 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Transporter MOT results?
Fail rates run at 10.0% for cars in the 0-30k band and 29.3% for 150k+, a 19.3-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol Transporter more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 22.3% of the time against 25.8% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 1,705,562 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.