Volkswagen Up MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 23 model years and 676,096 tests, the Volkswagen Up passes its MOT 88.1% of the time. City cars of a similar age fail 15.3% of the time, so this is 3.4pp better than the group it competes with. Its most common failure areas are lighting & signalling, brakes and visibility.
Best and worst Up years
Ranked across Up 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 2020 (93.7% pass rate); the weakest is 2012 (85.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — lighting & signalling (5.4%) and brakes (3.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are wipers, headlamp aim and service brake performance — wipers alone was recorded 20,106 times.
Condition tracks the odometer closely. Failures run at 6.7% in the 0-30k band and 25.1% in the 150k+ band, a 18.4-point spread — more than double.
The electric cars hold up better: 8.6% fail against 11.9% for petrol, a 3.3-point gap across 676,016 tests.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 9.7% of tests failed in 2021 against 13.6% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Versions & engines
MOT records broken out by the engine designations buyers actually search for.
By model year
Every Up model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 80,305 | 85.2% | 14.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2013 | 114,151 | 86.2% | 13.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2014 | 118,753 | 87.4% | 12.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2015 | 92,140 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2016 | 72,652 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2017 | 72,907 | 89.8% | 10.3% | Visibility |
| 2018 | 69,814 | 91.6% | 8.4% | Visibility |
| 2019 | 35,459 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 10,540 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 6,566 | 93.0% | 7.0% | Tyres |
| 2022 | 2,669 | 93.2% | 6.8% | Tyres |
| 2023 | 78 | 94.9% | 5.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2024 | 35 | 91.4% | 8.6% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lighting & signalling | 5.4% | 36,397 |
| 2 | Brakes | 3.7% | 25,161 |
| 3 | Visibility | 3.6% | 24,599 |
| 4 | Tyres | 3.4% | 23,206 |
| 5 | Suspension | 2.1% | 14,140 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.6% | 11,000 |
| 7 | Emissions & environmental | 1.3% | 8,788 |
| 8 | Seat belts & restraints | 0.4% | 2,542 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 20,106 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 19,266 |
| 3 | Service brake performance | 15,594 |
| 4 | Catalyst emissions | 13,715 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 11,681 |
| 6 | Position lamp | 9,672 |
| 7 | Washers | 8,854 |
| 8 | Pins and bushes | 6,941 |
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 | 23.6% | 159,856 |
| 2 | Brakes | 13.2% | 89,144 |
| 3 | Other defects | 7.0% | 47,458 |
| 4 | Suspension | 6.5% | 43,893 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.8% | 18,902 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 1.6% | 10,559 |
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 | 235,544 | 6.7% |
| 30-60k | 270,955 | 12.3% |
| 60-90k | 125,511 | 17.3% |
| 90-120k | 34,653 | 21.0% |
| 120-150k | 7,284 | 23.1% |
| 150k+ | 1,984 | 25.1% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 674,930 | 11.9% |
| Electric | 1,086 | 8.6% |
| Diesel | 69 | 14.5% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 120,974 | 9.7% |
| 2022 | 131,117 | 10.3% |
| 2023 | 137,056 | 11.9% |
| 2024 | 141,256 | 13.4% |
| 2025 | 145,693 | 13.6% |
What to check before buying a Volkswagen Up
- Lighting & signalling (5.4% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (3.7% 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.
- Visibility (3.6% of tests): Wipers, washers, mirrors and screen damage — usually inexpensive, but check for chips in the driver's line of sight. Typical repair: £15–£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 Up?
88.1% of the 676,096 Volkswagen Up MOT tests in this dataset passed, an 11.9% fail rate, across model years 2003–2025.
What does the Volkswagen Up most often fail its MOT on?
Lighting & signalling, recorded in 5.4% of tests, then brakes (3.7%).
Which Up years are best and worst for MOT results?
2020 has the best pass rate at 93.7% and 2012 the weakest at 85.2%, from 10,540 and 80,305 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect Up MOT results?
Fail rates run at 6.7% for cars in the 0-30k band and 25.1% for 150k+, a 18.4-point difference.
Is the electric or petrol Up more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the electric fails 8.6% of the time against 11.9% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 676,096 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.