2019 Volkswagen Up — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2019 Volkswagen Up passed 93.7% of its 35,459 recorded MOT tests. City cars of a similar age fail 8.7% of the time, so this is 2.4pp better than the group it competes with. Failures cluster in tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.0%) and lighting & signalling (2.7%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are headlamp aim, wipers and service brake performance — headlamp aim alone was recorded 827 times.
A 90-120k example is materially riskier than a 0-30k one: 17.8% versus 4.6%.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 18.7% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 5.1% of tests failed in 2021 against 8.2% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.0% | 1,076 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 2.7% | 968 |
| 3 | Brakes | 1.5% | 542 |
| 4 | Visibility | 1.5% | 520 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.7% | 238 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.2% | 81 |
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 | 827 |
| 2 | Wipers | 327 |
| 3 | Service brake performance | 278 |
| 4 | Washers | 273 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 239 |
| 6 | Rear fog lamp | 192 |
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 | 18.7% | 6,623 |
| 2 | Brakes | 8.2% | 2,904 |
| 3 | Other defects | 5.5% | 1,958 |
| 4 | Suspension | 2.9% | 1,046 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.8% | 649 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 0.6% | 212 |
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 | 26,136 | 4.6% |
| 30-60k | 8,232 | 10.4% |
| 60-90k | 922 | 16.9% |
| 90-120k | 107 | 17.8% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 335 | 5.1% |
| 2022 | 8,727 | 4.1% |
| 2023 | 8,789 | 5.8% |
| 2024 | 8,677 | 7.1% |
| 2025 | 8,931 | 8.2% |
What to check before buying a 2019 Up
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.0% of tests. Start there.
- 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.
- Lighting & signalling (2.7% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (1.5% 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
How many 2019 Volkswagen Ups pass their MOT?
93.7% of the 35,459 2019 Volkswagen Up MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 6.3% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2019 Volkswagen Up?
Tyres, recorded in 3.0% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (2.7%).
Does the 2019 Up get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 4.6% in the 0-30k band to 17.8% in the 90-120k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 35,459 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.