Volkswagen Crafter MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volkswagen Crafter MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volkswagen Crafter passed on its first attempt in 75.6%, and its overall record sits −1.3 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen Crafter in the 2023–2025 data: 25,501 tests across 17 model years (2006–2022). 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 Crafter MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen Crafter, the Brakes 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 Crafter's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volkswagen Crafter DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen Crafter, each with how many of the model's 25,501 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 1,566 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 6.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements" (Major) — noted on about 1,141 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 4.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 856 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 3.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 671 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded" (Major) — noted on about 527 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 2.1% of the model's MOT record.
• "Rear reflectors defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface" (Minor) — noted on about 391 Volkswagen Crafter tests, 1.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volkswagen Crafter Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volkswagen Crafter model year on record is 2021 (91.2% across 922 tests), and the weakest is 2007 (73.2%). The gap between them is 18.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Volkswagen Crafter reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.2 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 Crafter Owners

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

• 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 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 brake pipes — “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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Volkswagen Crafter MOT & Reliability