2017 Volkswagen Up — MOT failures & pass rate
Across 72,907 MOT tests, the 2017 Volkswagen Up recorded an 89.8% pass rate. Against city cars of a similar age (11.7% fail rate), the 2017 Up comes out 1.4pp better. Failures cluster in visibility, lighting & signalling and tyres.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — visibility (4.5%) and lighting & signalling (4.1%) 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 pins and bushes — wipers alone was recorded 3,057 times.
A 150k+ example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 31.4% versus 6.7%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 23.8% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 7.5% of tests failed in 2021 against 12.9% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visibility | 4.5% | 3,258 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 4.1% | 2,987 |
| 3 | Tyres | 3.0% | 2,191 |
| 4 | Brakes | 2.5% | 1,793 |
| 5 | Suspension | 1.9% | 1,377 |
| 6 | Body, structure & corrosion | 0.8% | 571 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wipers | 3,057 |
| 2 | Headlamp aim | 1,868 |
| 3 | Pins and bushes | 1,193 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 996 |
| 5 | Washers | 901 |
| 6 | Tread depth | 871 |
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 | 23.8% | 17,351 |
| 2 | Brakes | 12.2% | 8,887 |
| 3 | Other defects | 6.8% | 4,943 |
| 4 | Suspension | 5.7% | 4,135 |
| 5 | Visibility | 2.7% | 1,940 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.6% | 469 |
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 | 36,990 | 6.7% |
| 30-60k | 28,535 | 12.5% |
| 60-90k | 6,210 | 18.6% |
| 90-120k | 979 | 23.7% |
| 120-150k | 125 | 21.6% |
| 150k+ | 51 | 31.4% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 72,788 | 10.3% |
| Electric | 111 | 6.3% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 14,225 | 7.5% |
| 2022 | 14,321 | 8.4% |
| 2023 | 14,655 | 10.2% |
| 2024 | 14,728 | 12.0% |
| 2025 | 14,978 | 12.9% |
What to check before buying a 2017 Up
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: visibility accounted for 4.5% of tests. Start there.
- Visibility (4.5% 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.
- Lighting & signalling (4.1% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Tyres (3.0% 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
How many 2017 Volkswagen Ups pass their MOT?
89.8% of the 72,907 2017 Volkswagen Up MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 10.3% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2017 Volkswagen Up?
Visibility, recorded in 4.5% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (4.1%).
Does the 2017 Up get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 6.7% in the 0-30k band to 31.4% in the 150k+ band.
Methodology & source. Based on 72,907 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.