2010 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate

Pass rate

76.9%

Around average — 2.2 pts ahead of the 74.7% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 2,424 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £27–£76

Which year to buy

  • Best 2017 82.4% pass
  • Avoid 2005 68.4% pass

Across the 14 years on record, a spread of 14 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
70.9%
Typical mileage
107k mi

The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate is 76.9% of its MOT tests — 2.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 29.4% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta on the real record

76.9% of 2010 Volkswagen Jetta MOTs passed — 2,424 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 Jetta does in your corner of the country.

How one model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Expert verdict

Suspension: 1.4× the national share

Suspension accounts for 29.4% of everything recorded on the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, against 21.0% nationally — 8.4 points above. Ask for the front and rear suspension to be checked on a ramp before you buy — worn bushes and broken springs are cheap to look at and expensive to discover at test time.

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 Jetta? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 74.7%, so this figure is 2.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 70.9%. The median 2010 Volkswagen Jetta in this dataset had covered 107,462 mi.

The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 80% of tests, with a 76.7% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 78.5% of the time, April–September 74.9%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources", noted on 6.68% of tests.

  • 2,424 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 76.9% overall pass rate, 70.9% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Volkswagen Jetta, the average is 76.4% — best year 2017 (82.4%), worst 2005 (68.4%).

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
2,424
Typical mileage (median)
107,462 mi
Make and model
Volkswagen Jetta
Updated
2026-11-05

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

Top part to budget for

Number Plate Lamp

Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.

Does mileage affect the Jetta MOT pass rate?

0-30k 84.8%
30-60k 78.5%
60-90k 79.5%
90-120k 76.0%
120k+ 75.4%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 67% so small gaps stay visible.

Fuel type and reliability

Diesel 76.7%
Petrol 77.4%

Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (80% of tests).

Regional pass rates for the Jetta

Region Tests Pass rate
North West 375 78.7%
South East 361 78.9%
Scotland 302 69.9%
Yorkshire 302 77.8%
West Midlands 269 79.9%
East of England 232 77.6%
South West 176 71.0%
East Midlands 155 76.8%
Wales 114 73.7%
North East 91 82.4%
London 47 83.0%

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 2010 Jetta

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.

Suspension 29.4%
+8.4 pts vs national national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Brakes 18.5%
−2.4 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Tyres 15.8%
−4.0 pts vs national national 19.8% Compare tyre prices
Lamps & electrics 14.7%
+2.5 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Body & chassis 5.1%
  • Emissions & leaks 4.9%
  • Visibility 4.8%
  • Advisories 2.4%
  • Identification 2.1%
  • Seat belts 1.1%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2010 Volkswagen Jetta 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 2010 Jetta

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 lights 6.7% 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.

  2. Check the windscreen 5.2% 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.

  3. Check the coil springs 4.7% of tests

    “coil spring fractured or broken”

    Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

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 2010 Jetta through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £27–£76 — and 38% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£27–£76
Cheapest common item: individual direction indicators with a…
£3–£12
Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
£80–£250
Common items a careful owner can do at home
80%
Repairs that still cost under £30
38%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,424 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 Jetta, side by side

14 model years on record, from 2005 to 2018. Across them the pass rate runs from 68.4% to 82.4% — a spread of 14 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2005 68.4% windscreen damaged but not…
  2. 2006 73.3% joints constant velocity boot…
  3. 2007 73.5% joints constant velocity boot…
  4. 2008 74.3% joints constant velocity boot…
  5. 2009 76.3% joints constant velocity boot…
  6. 2010 76.9%
    registration plate lamp(s)…
  7. 2011 76.7% coil spring fractured or broken
  8. 2012 76.9% coil spring fractured or broken
  9. 2013 76.9% coil spring fractured or broken
  10. 2014 78.3% coil spring fractured or broken
  11. 2015 80.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  12. 2016 81.7% coil spring fractured or broken
  13. 2017 82.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  14. 2018 82.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…

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 2010 Volkswagen Jetta 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 2010 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2010 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2010 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.

The full DVSA record for the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta 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 5,331 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
Suspension 1,585 29.40% 20.98% +8.42
Brakes 998 18.50% 20.89% −2.39
Tyres 855 15.80% 19.76% −3.96
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 793 14.70% 12.21% +2.49
Body, chassis, structure 274 5.10% 5.57% −0.47
Noise, emissions and leaks 265 4.90% 5.52% −0.62
Visibility 261 4.80% 4.97% −0.17
Non-component advisories 128 2.40% 4.18% −1.78
Identification of the vehicle 113 2.10% 1.76% +0.34
Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems 59 1.10% 0.82% +0.28

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 2,424 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 6.7% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 5.2% £80–200 Windscreen →
Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension Major 4.7% £25–65 Coil Spring →
Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension Minor 4.5% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Position lamp with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.5% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Individual direction indicators with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 4.3% £3–12 Indicator Bulb →
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure Minor 3.8% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension Major 2.6% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension Minor 2.5% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension Major 2.5% £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
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 19.6% £45–95
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 14.2% £40–150
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 14.2% £45–110
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 7.9% £45–95
Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Advisory 7.2% £18–45
Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension Advisory 5.7% £25–65

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 33 84.8% 20,850 mi
30-60k 246 78.5% 47,983 mi
60-90k 482 79.5% 77,109 mi
90-120k 734 76.0% 104,224 mi
120k+ 925 75.4% 158,143 mi

Source: 2,424 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.

2010 Jetta MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta?

76.9% of the 2,424 2010 Volkswagen Jetta tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 74.7% for cars first used in 2010. First-attempt pass rate: 70.9%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta?

The three most recorded items are registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (6.68%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (5.24%), coil spring fractured or broken (4.66%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.8% of the time, falling to 75.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2010 Volkswagen Jetta in this dataset had covered 107,462 mi.

Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta?

Diesel: 76.7% pass rate across 1,937 tests. Petrol: 77.4% pass rate across 487 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.

Does the season affect the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 78.5% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 74.9%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.