Pass rate
90.0%
Above average — 0.7 pts behind the 90.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 350 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £37–£91
2020 Volkswagen California MOT pass rate
- 2020
- Motorhome
- typical 22,597 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
42.2% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2020 90.0% pass · this year
- Avoid 2005 72.6% pass
Across the 16 years on record, a spread of 17.4 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 89.0%
- Typical mileage
- 23k mi
The 2020 Volkswagen California MOT pass rate is 90.0% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 42.2% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen California does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 2.1× the national share
Tyres make up 42.2% of everything recorded on the 2020 Volkswagen California, against 19.8% nationally — 22.4 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 25% 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.
- Based on a small sample. 350 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 California? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2020 Volkswagen California compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 90.7%, so this figure is 0.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 89.0%. The median 2020 Volkswagen California in this dataset had covered 22,597 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 91.5% of the time, April–September 88.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has ply or cords exposed", noted on 2.57% of tests.
- 350 recorded tests behind this page.
- 90.0% overall pass rate, 89.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volkswagen California, the average is 85.4% — best year 2020 (90.0%), worst 2005 (72.6%).
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
- 350
- Typical mileage (median)
- 22,597 mi
- Make and model
- Volkswagen California
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the California MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the California
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 89 | 94.4% |
| South West | 78 | 83.3% |
| West Midlands | 37 | 81.1% |
| Yorkshire | 30 | 93.3% |
| East of England | 25 | 96.0% |
| North West | 25 | 100.0% |
| East Midlands | 17 | 94.1% |
| Scotland | 16 | 93.8% |
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 2020 California
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 2020 California
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 windscreen 1.7% 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 the lights 1.1% of tests
“malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction”
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 wipers and washers 0.9% of tests
“wipers blade defective”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
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 2020 California through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £37–£91 — and 25% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £37–£91
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 80%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 25%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 350 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 California, side by side
16 model years on record, from 2005 to 2020. Across them the pass rate runs from 72.6% to 90.0% — a spread of 17.4 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2005 72.6% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2006 81.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2007 82.0% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2008 80.1% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2009 80.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2010 80.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 81.8% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 81.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 83.7% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2014 83.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2015 84.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2016 85.1% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 86.8% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2018 88.7% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2019 89.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2020 90.0%has ply or cords exposed
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 2020 Volkswagen California 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 2020 motorhomes with a similar record
- Jeep Motorhome 89.2%
- Dethleffs Motorhome 93.0%
- Rapido Motorhome 93.2%
- Mercedes-Benz Motorhome 94.3%
- Suzuki Motorhome 94.5%
- Fiat Motorhome 94.8%
Closest pass rates among 2020 motorhomes with at least 150 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. Full rankings: best motorhomes and worst motorhomes for MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2020 Volkswagen California 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 211 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 89 | 42.20% | 19.76% | +22.44 |
| Brakes | 39 | 18.50% | 20.89% | −2.39 |
| Suspension | 20 | 9.50% | 20.98% | −11.48 |
| Non-component advisories | 17 | 8.10% | 4.18% | +3.92 |
| Visibility | 15 | 7.10% | 4.97% | +2.13 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 10 | 4.70% | 12.21% | −7.51 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 8 | 3.80% | 1.76% | +2.04 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 6 | 2.80% | 5.52% | −2.72 |
| Steering | 6 | 2.80% | 2.57% | +0.23 |
| Road Wheels | 1 | 0.50% | 0.75% | −0.25 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 2.6% | £45–95 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 1.7% | £80–200 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.1% | £3–12 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.86% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint has excessive play Steering | Major | 0.57% | £18–45 |
| Electronic stability control warning lamp indicates a fault Brakes | Major | 0.57% | £3–15 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.57% | £40–150 |
| Registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements Identification of the vehicle | Major | 0.57% | £20–80 |
| Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak Suspension | Major | 0.57% | £30–75 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 12.0% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 5.7% | £45–110 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.7% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 2.6% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 2.3% | £40–150 |
| Tread depth tread pattern not visible over the whole tread area when minimum depth required is 1.0mm Tyres | Advisory | 2.3% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 235 | 94.0% | 17,610 mi |
| 30-60k | 105 | 82.9% | 40,526 mi |
| 60-90k | 10 | 70.0% | 71,262 mi |
Source: 350 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.
2020 California MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2020 Volkswagen California?
90.0% of the 350 2020 Volkswagen California tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 90.7% for cars first used in 2020. First-attempt pass rate: 89.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2020 Volkswagen California?
The three most recorded items are has ply or cords exposed (2.57%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (1.71%), has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (1.14%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2020 Volkswagen California MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 94.0% of the time, falling to 70.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2020 Volkswagen California in this dataset had covered 22,597 mi.
Does the season affect the 2020 Volkswagen California MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 91.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 88.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.