Pass rate, every year
52,713 tests across 23 model years, 2000–2022.
−3.8 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
52,713 tests across 23 model years, 2000–2022.
−3.8 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2022 89.5%
The strongest of the 23 years on record. See the 2022 page →
Worst year to buy
2000 69.7%
19.8 points below the 2022 peak. See the 2000 page →
The Volkswagen Caravelle MOT pass rate is 77.2%, −3.8 percentage points below the UK average. That is 52,713 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2000 and 2022. This page lists the most common Volkswagen Caravelle MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Caravelle MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The Volkswagen Caravelle passed on its first attempt in 71.4%, and its overall record sits −3.8 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen Caravelle in the 2023–2025 data: 52,713 tests across 23 model years (2000–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 52,713 |
| Overall pass rate | 77.2% |
| Passed on first attempt | 71.4% |
| Average mileage at test | 116,161 mi |
| Model years covered | 2000–2022 (23 years) |
| Versus UK national average | −3.8 pts below |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen Caravelle, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34% |
| Suspension | 27% |
| Visibility | 15% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8% |
| Brakes | 6% |
| Tyres | 5% |
| Steering | 4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2% |
Shares are over the Volkswagen Caravelle's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 34% of the recorded Volkswagen Caravelle failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (7.9%), "Position lamp not working" (1.1%), "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps" (0.6%) among the Volkswagen Caravelle's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
Around 27% of the recorded Volkswagen Caravelle failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (3.0%), "Coil spring fractured or broken" (2.0%), "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (1.3%) among the Volkswagen Caravelle's suspension faults.
Around 15% of the recorded Volkswagen Caravelle failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (5.1%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.0%) among the Volkswagen Caravelle's visibility faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen Caravelle, each with how many of the model's 52,713 tests it was noted on.
1 failure item is recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flexible brake hoses excessively deteriorated | 2.6% | 0.4% | 6.5× | £25–£70 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (52,713 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items Caravelle records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Volkswagen Caravelle model year on record is 2022 (89.5% across 190 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (69.7%). The gap between them is 19.8 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Volkswagen Caravelle reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.3 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Caravelle | 190 | 89.5% |
| 2021 Caravelle | 1,147 | 86.7% |
| 2020 Caravelle | 2,196 | 87.9% |
| 2019 Caravelle | 2,375 | 85.8% |
| 2018 Caravelle | 2,235 | 83.7% |
| 2017 Caravelle | 3,308 | 82.6% |
| 2016 Caravelle | 3,570 | 80.5% |
| 2015 Caravelle | 2,553 | 79.9% |
| 2014 Caravelle | 2,220 | 79.9% |
| 2013 Caravelle | 2,483 | 80.3% |
| 2012 Caravelle | 2,897 | 79.9% |
| 2011 Caravelle | 2,448 | 77.9% |
| 2010 Caravelle | 2,273 | 76.0% |
| 2009 Caravelle | 1,595 | 74.0% |
| 2008 Caravelle | 2,241 | 72.3% |
| 2007 Caravelle | 2,350 | 72.3% |
| 2006 Caravelle | 2,401 | 71.2% |
| 2005 Caravelle | 2,679 | 70.5% |
| 2004 Caravelle | 2,037 | 71.0% |
| 2003 Caravelle | 2,261 | 71.1% |
| 2002 Caravelle | 2,711 | 72.0% |
| 2001 Caravelle | 2,434 | 72.1% |
| 2000 Caravelle | 2,109 | 69.7% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Volkswagen Caravelle's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volkswagen Caravelle.
the lights — “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.
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 suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volkswagen Caravelle. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
77.2% of the 52,713 recorded Volkswagen Caravelle MOT tests ended in a pass, −3.8 percentage points below the national average. 71.4% of those passed on the first attempt.
2022 is the strongest Volkswagen Caravelle year on record at 89.5%, while 2000 is the weakest at 69.7%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Volkswagen Caravelle failures are "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" and "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" — together around 13% of tests, mostly in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section.