Pass rate
69.1%
Below average — 3.5 pts behind the 72.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 1,081 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £61–£170
2003 Volkswagen Caddy MOT pass rate
- 2003
- Van
- typical 133,476 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
24.9% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Part only £25–£55 for Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded. What fitting it takes →
10.3 pts down across model years — 10.9% in 2000, 0.6% in 2013.
Which year to buy
- Best 2023 91.8% pass
- Avoid 2001 67.2% pass
Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 24.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 60.2%
- Typical mileage
- 133k mi
The 2003 Volkswagen Caddy MOT pass rate is 69.1% of its MOT tests — 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 24.9% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Caddy does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.3× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 12.7% of everything recorded on the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy, against 5.6% nationally — 7.1 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 24.9%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, vans this age and mileage expect about 72.6%; this one manages 69.1% — 3.5 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 23% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a Volkswagen Caddy? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.6%, so this figure is 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 60.2%. The median 2003 Volkswagen Caddy in this dataset had covered 133,476 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 68.6% of the time, April–September 69.7%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 7.96% of tests.
- 1,081 recorded tests behind this page.
- 69.1% overall pass rate, 60.2% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volkswagen Caddy, the average is 79.2% — best year 2023 (91.8%), worst 2001 (67.2%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 1,081
- Typical mileage (median)
- 133,476 mi
- Make and model
- Volkswagen Caddy
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Number Plate Lamp
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Caddy MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 58% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Caddy
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South West | 191 | 61.8% |
| South East | 168 | 71.4% |
| East of England | 135 | 67.4% |
| West Midlands | 114 | 75.4% |
| North West | 107 | 69.2% |
| Yorkshire | 97 | 74.2% |
| Scotland | 87 | 70.1% |
| East Midlands | 84 | 63.1% |
| Wales | 80 | 71.3% |
| North East | 15 | 80.0% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2003 Caddy
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2003 Caddy
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the lights 8.0% of tests
“registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”
Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.
-
Check the windscreen 7.3% of tests
“windscreen damaged”
Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.
-
Check corrosion 4.8% of tests
“component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength”
Look under the sills, around the jacking points and where the suspension mounts meet the body. Flaking, holed or crumbly metal fails; a brown stain on sound metal does not.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2003 Caddy through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £61–£170 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £61–£170
- Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
- £5–£20
- Dearest common item: component mounting prescribed areas…
- £180–£450
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 30%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 23%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,081 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the Caddy, side by side
24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.2% to 91.8% — a spread of 24.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 73.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2001 67.2% component mounting prescribed…
- 2002 70.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2003 69.1%registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2004 71.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2005 72.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 72.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 73.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 74.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 74.2% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 73.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 75.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 76.8% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 77.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 78.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 79.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 81.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2017 82.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2018 86.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 86.2% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 87.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2021 88.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2022 89.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2023 91.8% brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2003 vans with a similar record
- Renault Master 68.9%
- Fiat Scudo 68.9%
- Ford Transit 69.4%
- Peugeot Expert 69.5%
- Peugeot Partner 68.6%
- Citroen Berlingo 70.2%
Closest pass rates among 2003 vans with at least 1,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. Full rankings: best vans and worst vans for MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 3,818 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 982 | 24.90% | 20.89% | +4.01 |
| Suspension | 774 | 19.70% | 20.98% | −1.28 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 498 | 12.70% | 5.57% | +7.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 442 | 11.20% | 12.21% | −1.01 |
| Tyres | 390 | 9.90% | 19.76% | −9.86 |
| Visibility | 216 | 5.50% | 4.97% | +0.53 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 171 | 4.30% | 5.52% | −1.22 |
| Steering | 150 | 3.80% | 2.57% | +1.23 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 104 | 2.60% | 0.82% | +1.78 |
| Non-component advisories | 91 | 2.30% | 4.18% | −1.88 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 8.0% | £5–20 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 7.4% | £80–250 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 7.3% | £80–200 |
| Service brake imbalance across an axle Brakes | Major | 6.3% | £45–110 |
| Component mounting prescribed areas prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | Major | 4.8% | £180–450 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.3% | £40–150 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.3% | £5–25 |
| Prescribed areas prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | Major | 4.3% | £40–120 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Major | 3.8% | £80–180 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 3.5% | £80–250 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 32.8% | £80–180 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 18.9% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 17.7% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 9.4% | £45–95 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 9.3% | £200–700 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Advisory | 7.8% | £45–120 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 80.0% | 18,859 mi |
| 30-60k | 45 | 86.7% | 50,542 mi |
| 60-90k | 151 | 66.9% | 75,559 mi |
| 90-120k | 216 | 69.4% | 104,114 mi |
| 120k+ | 658 | 68.5% | 163,043 mi |
Source: 1,081 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2003 Caddy MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2003 Volkswagen Caddy?
69.1% of the 1,081 2003 Volkswagen Caddy tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.6% for cars first used in 2003. First-attempt pass rate: 60.2%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2003 Volkswagen Caddy?
The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (7.96%), joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (7.40%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.31%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 80.0% of the time, falling to 68.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2003 Volkswagen Caddy in this dataset had covered 133,476 mi.
Does the season affect the 2003 Volkswagen Caddy MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 68.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 69.7%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.