2012 Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate

Pass rate

75.8%

Around average — 1.4 pts behind the 77.2% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 2,075 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £34–£85

Most common fault

Brakes

32.8% 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 →

14.0 pts down across model years — 15.6% in 2007, 1.6% in 2017.

Every failure, with what it costs →

Which year to buy

  • Best 2021 91.2% pass
  • Avoid 2007 73.2% pass

Across the 17 years on record, a spread of 18 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
69.5%
Typical mileage
133k mi

The 2012 Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate is 75.8% of its MOT tests — 1.4 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 32.8% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2012 Volkswagen Crafter on the real record

75.8% of 2012 Volkswagen Crafter MOTs passed — 2,075 tests, 2023–2025

Pass rate

The answer from the DVSA's class-4 MOT records.

Check your postcode

MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Crafter does in your corner of the country.

How one model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Expert verdict

Brakes: 1.6× the national share

Brakes make up 32.8% of everything recorded on the 2012 Volkswagen Crafter, against 20.9% nationally — 11.9 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.

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 Crafter? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2012 Volkswagen Crafter compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 77.2%, so this figure is 1.4 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 69.5%. The median 2012 Volkswagen Crafter in this dataset had covered 133,096 mi.

Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 76.6% of the time, April–September 75.0%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 7.04% of tests.

  • 2,075 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 75.8% overall pass rate, 69.5% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Volkswagen Crafter, the average is 79.7% — best year 2021 (91.2%), worst 2007 (73.2%).

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
2,075
Typical mileage (median)
133,096 mi
Make and model
Volkswagen Crafter
Updated
2026-11-05

Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.

Top part to budget for

Windscreen

Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.

Does mileage affect the Crafter MOT pass rate?

0-30k 93.8%
30-60k 86.3%
60-90k 81.9%
90-120k 75.8%
120k+ 73.8%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 65% so small gaps stay visible.

Regional pass rates for the Crafter

Region Tests Pass rate
South West 359 73.3%
South East 339 72.9%
North West 301 79.4%
Scotland 240 76.7%
East of England 180 77.2%
Wales 180 76.7%
West Midlands 159 76.1%
Yorkshire 127 78.7%
East Midlands 92 69.6%
North East 80 78.8%
London 18 83.3%

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 2012 Crafter

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.

Brakes 32.8%
+11.9 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Suspension 14.1%
−6.9 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Lamps & electrics 13.2%
+1.0 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Tyres 7.6%
−12.2 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Advisories 7.4%
  • Emissions & leaks 6.6%
  • Visibility 6.2%
  • Steering 5.9%
  • Body & chassis 2.3%
  • Identification 2.0%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2012 Volkswagen Crafter tests — a composition, so they add to 100% across all sections, not per test.

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 2012 Crafter

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.

  1. Check the windscreen 7.0% 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.

  2. Check the lights 5.8% 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.

  3. Check the brake pipes 3.7% of tests

    “rigid brake pipes excessively corroded”

    Brake pipes run under the car, usually in front of the rear wheels. Flaking or crusty metal is what fails; a light dusting of surface rust does not. Worth asking a garage to look while it is on a ramp.

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 2012 Crafter through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £34–£85 — and 43% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£34–£85
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
43%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,075 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 Crafter, side by side

17 model years on record, from 2006 to 2022. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.2% to 91.2% — a spread of 18 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2006 73.3% windscreen damaged but not…
  2. 2007 73.2% windscreen damaged but not…
  3. 2008 73.3% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  4. 2009 74.8% windscreen damaged but not…
  5. 2010 74.3% malfunction indicator lamp…
  6. 2011 77.1% windscreen damaged but not…
  7. 2012 75.8%
    windscreen damaged but not…
  8. 2013 76.5% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  9. 2014 78.8% rbt (sp) efficiency below…
  10. 2015 80.4% windscreen damaged but not…
  11. 2016 81.7% windscreen damaged but not…
  12. 2017 84.2% windscreen damaged but not…
  13. 2018 86.6% windscreen damaged but not…
  14. 2019 87.1% windscreen damaged but not…
  15. 2020 88.0% windscreen damaged but not…
  16. 2021 91.2% windscreen damaged but not…
  17. 2022 89.4% windscreen damaged but not…

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 2012 Volkswagen Crafter 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.

Compare 2012 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2012 vans with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2012 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 2012 Volkswagen Crafter 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 5,092 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 1,703 32.80% 20.89% +11.91
Suspension 730 14.10% 20.98% −6.88
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 686 13.20% 12.21% +0.99
Tyres 396 7.60% 19.76% −12.16
Non-component advisories 383 7.40% 4.18% +3.22
Noise, emissions and leaks 341 6.60% 5.52% +1.08
Visibility 322 6.20% 4.97% +1.23
Steering 307 5.90% 2.57% +3.33
Body, chassis, structure 120 2.30% 5.57% −3.27
Identification of the vehicle 104 2.00% 1.76% +0.24

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 2,075 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 7.0% £80–200 Windscreen →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 5.8% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes Major 5.7% £45–110 Brake Discs and Pads Set →
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Major 3.7% £80–180 Brake Pipe →
Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering Major 3.2% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks Major 2.9% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →
Rear reflectors defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 2.5% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes Major 2.5% £3–15 Bulb →
Side repeaters lens defective which has no effect on emitted light Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 2.3% £3–15 Bulb →
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Major 2.0% £18–45 Ball Joint →

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.

Items recorded as advisory on this vehicle
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost
Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes Advisory 25.4% £80–180
Non-component advisories Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories Advisory 15.0% £120–300
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 14.1% £45–110
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Advisory 10.7% £18–45
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 10.1% £45–95
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 8.4% £200–700

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 16 93.8% 24,334 mi
30-60k 102 86.3% 44,777 mi
60-90k 232 81.9% 76,972 mi
90-120k 442 75.8% 105,486 mi
120k+ 1,276 73.8% 163,785 mi

Source: 2,075 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.

2012 Crafter MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2012 Volkswagen Crafter?

75.8% of the 2,075 2012 Volkswagen Crafter tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 77.2% for cars first used in 2012. First-attempt pass rate: 69.5%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2012 Volkswagen Crafter?

The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.04%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (5.78%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (5.73%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2012 Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 93.8% of the time, falling to 73.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2012 Volkswagen Crafter in this dataset had covered 133,096 mi.

Does the season affect the 2012 Volkswagen Crafter MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 76.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 75.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.