Volkswagen E-Up MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volkswagen E-Up MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volkswagen E-Up passed on its first attempt in 93.7%, and its overall record sits +13.1 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen E-Up in the 2023–2025 data: 4,165 tests across 3 model years (2020–2022). 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 E-Up MOT Problems by Failure Category

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

Top Recorded Volkswagen E-Up DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen E-Up, each with how many of the model's 4,165 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 74 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers blade defective" (Minor) — noted on about 37 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (Major) — noted on about 31 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 31 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 22 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 21 Volkswagen E-Up tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volkswagen E-Up Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volkswagen E-Up model year on record is 2021 (94.2% across 2,554 tests), and the weakest is 2022 (93.8%). The gap between them is 0.4 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volkswagen E-Up Owners

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

• 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.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

  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 tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

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

Where the Volkswagen E-Up is most common

Across every E-Up model year on record (2020–2022): 2,935 Volkswagen E-Up cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,164 tests. Leicester (LE) has the most, with 104 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most Volkswagen E-Up cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: Volkswagen E-Up MOT & Reliability