Car
Ford Kuga
86.0%
pass rate across 990,804 tests
83.9% first-time pass rate
Ford Kuga vs Volkswagen Tiguan
The two cars compared on 1,782,544 real MOT tests: pass rates, first-time passes, the failures each is known for, repair costs and how both have moved year by year.
86.4%
pass rate across 791,740 tests
84.4% first-time pass rate
The short answer
Too close to call on MOT evidence
The two are level on first-time passes: 83.9% for the Ford Kuga and 84.4% for the Volkswagen Tiguan. A typical repair bill is different: £28–£69 for the Ford Kuga and £39–£103 for the Volkswagen Tiguan; at their pass rates that is roughly £385–£967 versus £537–£1,404 per 100 tests. The costliest common failure on the Volkswagen Tiguan is Child seat fitted, preventing full inspection at 4.2% of tests, up to £80 to fix.
- First-time pass: 83.9% vs 84.4%.
- All MOTs: 86.0% vs 86.4%.
- Like-for-like: +1.7 vs +1.8 points.
- Typical repair bill: £28–£69 vs £39–£103.
- At 90,000–120,000 miles: 78.7% vs 79.7%.
| Measure | Kuga | Tiguan |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests on record | 990,804 | 791,740 |
| Pass rate, all MOTs | 86.0% | 86.4% stronger figure |
| First-time pass rate | 83.9% | 84.4% stronger figure |
| Against the UK average | +5.0 pts | +5.4 pts stronger figure |
| Like-for-like, age and mileage adjusted | +1.7 pts | +1.8 pts stronger figure |
| Average mileage at test | 71,818 mi | 74,348 mi |
| Model years on record | 2008–2023 (16) | 2008–2023 (16) |
| Best model year | 2023 · 96.0% | 2023 · 94.8% |
| Worst model year | 2009 · 74.9% | 2009 · 75.1% |
| Typical repair bill | £28–£69 stronger figure | £39–£103 |
| Expected repair spend per 100 tests | £385–£967 stronger figure | £537–£1,404 |
| Main fuel | Diesel 78% | Diesel 76% |
| Variants recorded | 16 | 4 |
A ✓ marks the stronger figure in each row. It is a comparison between the two cars, not a judgement against the national average.
What goes wrong most often
The most common priced failures on each model, as a share of all its tests. Repair costs are estimates from UK parts data, not quotes.
Year by year
The newest 8 years with published results. A model's headline rate hides a wide spread between its best and worst years.
| Model year | Kuga | Tiguan |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 86.7% · 113,311 tests | 87.8% · 62,384 tests |
| 2017 | 88.7% · 122,346 tests | 89.8% · 86,307 tests |
| 2018 | 89.4% · 126,329 tests | 89.8% · 95,760 tests |
| 2019 | 90.0% · 132,120 tests | 90.9% · 110,417 tests |
| 2020 | 91.9% · 48,380 tests | 91.2% · 77,097 tests |
| 2021 | 92.4% · 44,231 tests | 91.9% · 47,214 tests |
| 2022 | 94.0% · 27,024 tests | 92.1% · 16,645 tests |
| 2023 | 96.0% · 1,248 tests | 94.8% · 823 tests |
Does the pass rate hold at higher mileage?
Pass rate by the mileage recorded at test, pooled across every published year. A car that stays strong past 90,000 miles is doing something right.
| Mileage | Kuga | Tiguan |
|---|---|---|
| 0–30,000 mi | 93.4% · 160,959 tests | 93.6% · 119,406 tests |
| 30,000–60,000 mi | 89.4% · 348,898 tests | 89.6% · 278,532 tests |
| 60,000–90,000 mi | 84.2% · 258,229 tests | 85.3% · 203,834 tests |
| 90,000–120,000 mi | 78.7% · 139,934 tests | 79.7% · 112,956 tests |
| 120k+ | 75.7% · 81,470 tests | 76.2% · 76,893 tests |
What to check before you buy
Ford Kuga
- The weakest year on record is 2009 at 74.9%; check that generation's MOT history closely.
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Child seat fitted, preventing full inspection — 4.2% of tests, £20–£80 to put right.
- The weakest year on record is 2009 at 75.1%; check that generation's MOT history closely.
Both columns cover every published year for the model. Pass rates are test-weighted, so a model with more recent tests is not dragged down by its oldest ones. Repair figures are estimates from UK parts data; a garage quote is the only number that matters for a specific car. The same car can be tested in more than one year, so these are test outcomes, not a count of individual vehicles.
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