2020 Volkswagen Up — MOT failures & pass rate
The 2020 Volkswagen Up passed 93.7% of its 10,540 recorded MOT tests. Against city cars of a similar age (7.6% fail rate), the 2020 Up comes out 1.3pp better. Failures cluster in tyres, lighting & signalling and brakes.
What the MOT record shows
No single area dominates — tyres (3.7%) and lighting & signalling (2.0%) 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 washers — headlamp aim alone was recorded 184 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 5.4% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 17.3% once past 60-90k — 3.2× the risk.
Tyres is the most common advisory, noted on 15.0% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
The trend is worsening — 3.6% of tests failed in 2022 against 6.7% in 2025, the usual pattern as a fleet ages.
How it compares
Top failure categories
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 3.7% | 388 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 2.0% | 214 |
| 3 | Brakes | 1.1% | 117 |
| 4 | Visibility | 1.1% | 115 |
| 5 | Suspension | 0.5% | 56 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 0.3% | 35 |
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 | 184 |
| 2 | Wipers | 68 |
| 3 | Washers | 60 |
| 4 | Service brake performance | 44 |
| 5 | Tread depth | 44 |
| 6 | Rear fog lamp | 32 |
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 | 15.0% | 1,579 |
| 2 | Brakes | 6.6% | 695 |
| 3 | Other defects | 4.8% | 502 |
| 4 | Suspension | 1.8% | 185 |
| 5 | Visibility | 1.5% | 155 |
| 6 | Road wheels | 0.7% | 70 |
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 | 8,624 | 5.4% |
| 30-60k | 1,771 | 9.5% |
| 60-90k | 133 | 17.3% |
Failure rate by age
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 140 | 3.6% |
| 2023 | 3,525 | 5.6% |
| 2024 | 3,406 | 6.6% |
| 2025 | 3,459 | 6.7% |
What to check before buying a 2020 Up
The failure pattern for this year is specific enough to inspect against: tyres accounted for 3.7% of tests. Start there.
- Tyres (3.7% 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 (2.0% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (1.1% 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 2020 Volkswagen Ups pass their MOT?
93.7% of the 10,540 2020 Volkswagen Up MOT tests in this dataset passed — a 6.3% fail rate.
What is the most common MOT failure on a 2020 Volkswagen Up?
Tyres, recorded in 3.7% of tests, followed by lighting & signalling (2.0%).
Does the 2020 Up get worse with mileage?
Its MOT fail rate rises from 5.4% in the 0-30k band to 17.3% in the 60-90k band.
Methodology & source. Based on 10,540 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.