Car
Skoda Octavia
83.2%
pass rate across 717,425 tests
80.2% first-time pass rate
Skoda Octavia vs Volkswagen Golf
The two cars compared on 3,822,573 real MOT tests: pass rates, first-time passes, the failures each is known for, repair costs and how both have moved year by year.
Car
Volkswagen Golf
82.1%
pass rate across 3,105,148 tests
78.8% first-time pass rate
The short answer
Skoda Octavia edges the MOT comparison
Across 3,822,573 tests, the Skoda Octavia has the stronger first-time record: 80.2% against 78.8%, a 1.4-point gap. On all MOTs the Skoda Octavia is ahead at 83.2% versus 82.1%. A typical repair bill is similar: £37–£98 for the Skoda Octavia and £41–£106 for the Volkswagen Golf; at their pass rates that is roughly £629–£1,646 versus £727–£1,896 per 100 tests. The costliest common failure on the Volkswagen Golf is CV boot severely deteriorated at 3.1% of tests, up to £250 to fix.
- First-time pass: 80.2% vs 78.8%.
- All MOTs: 83.2% vs 82.1%.
- Like-for-like: +1.5 vs +2.3 points.
- Typical repair bill: £37–£98 vs £41–£106.
- At 90,000–120,000 miles: 80.6% vs 77.8%.
| Measure | Octavia | Golf |
|---|---|---|
| MOT tests on record | 717,425 | 3,105,148 |
| Pass rate, all MOTs | 83.2% stronger figure | 82.1% |
| First-time pass rate | 80.2% stronger figure | 78.8% |
| Against the UK average | +2.2 pts stronger figure | +1.1 pts |
| Like-for-like, age and mileage adjusted | +1.5 pts | +2.3 pts stronger figure |
| Average mileage at test | 101,336 mi | 89,803 mi |
| Model years on record | 2000–2025 (26) | 2000–2024 (25) |
| Best model year | 2025 · 100.0% | 2024 · 98.1% |
| Worst model year | 2000 · 69.7% | 2004 · 69.3% |
| Typical repair bill | £37–£98 stronger figure | £41–£106 |
| Expected repair spend per 100 tests | £629–£1,646 stronger figure | £727–£1,896 |
| Main fuel | Diesel 64% | Diesel 50% |
| Variants recorded | 4 | 7 |
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.
Octavia
- Shock absorber leaking 14.2% £30–£75
- Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure 1.2% £18–£45
- Position lamp partly not working 0.7% £5–£25
Golf
- Shock absorber leaking 13.2% £30–£75
- Suspension arm corroded 3.2% £35–£85
- CV boot severely deteriorated 3.1% £80–£250
- Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure 1.4% £18–£45
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 | Octavia | Golf |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 89.3% · 54,651 tests | 90.7% · 199,660 tests |
| 2019 | 89.1% · 65,355 tests | 91.3% · 170,458 tests |
| 2020 | 91.1% · 38,703 tests | 93.0% · 124,040 tests |
| 2021 | 92.0% · 21,053 tests | 92.6% · 55,653 tests |
| 2022 | 92.3% · 7,100 tests | 93.7% · 24,619 tests |
| 2023 | 96.0% · 1,186 tests | 95.4% · 850 tests |
| 2024 | 97.2% · 534 tests | 98.1% · 53 tests |
| 2025 | 100.0% · 66 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 | Octavia | Golf |
|---|---|---|
| 0–30,000 mi | 94.4% · 49,049 tests | 94.3% · 261,629 tests |
| 30,000–60,000 mi | 89.9% · 145,823 tests | 89.9% · 689,799 tests |
| 60,000–90,000 mi | 84.9% · 157,029 tests | 83.6% · 730,591 tests |
| 90,000–120,000 mi | 80.6% · 136,522 tests | 77.8% · 630,647 tests |
| 120k+ | 77.0% · 227,211 tests | 73.6% · 788,242 tests |
What to check before you buy
Skoda Octavia
- Shock absorber leaking — 14.2% of tests, £30–£75 to put right.
- Linkage ball joint dust cover insecure — 1.2% of tests, £18–£45 to put right.
- The weakest year on record is 2000 at 69.7%; check that generation's MOT history closely.
Volkswagen Golf
- Shock absorber leaking — 13.2% of tests, £30–£75 to put right.
- Suspension arm corroded — 3.2% of tests, £35–£85 to put right.
- The weakest year on record is 2004 at 69.3%; 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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