Volkswagen California Ocean MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volkswagen California Ocean MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volkswagen California Ocean passed on its first attempt in 91.5%, and its overall record sits +11.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen California Ocean in the 2023–2025 data: 4,251 tests across 4 model years (2019–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Volkswagen California Ocean MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen California Ocean, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Volkswagen California Ocean's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volkswagen California Ocean DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen California Ocean, each with how many of the model's 4,251 tests it was noted on.

• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 91 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 86 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak" (Major) — noted on about 49 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 47 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 23 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too high" (Rectified) — noted on about 13 Volkswagen California Ocean tests, 0.3% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volkswagen California Ocean Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volkswagen California Ocean model year on record is 2022 (93.0% across 1,093 tests), and the weakest is 2019 (89.8%). The gap between them is 3.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Volkswagen California Ocean reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.9 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volkswagen California Ocean Owners

These checks follow this Volkswagen California Ocean's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volkswagen California Ocean.

• the windscreen — “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.

• the shock absorbers — “shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak”

  Press down hard on each corner of the car and let go. It should settle in one bounce; if it keeps rocking, or you can see oil weeping down a shock absorber, that is the fault a tester will find.

• the wipers and washers — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volkswagen California Ocean. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Volkswagen California Ocean MOT & Reliability