Pass rate
81.7%
Around average — 2.3 pts behind the 84.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 2,765 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £38–£108
2016 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate
- 2016
- typical 65,500 mi
Most common fault
Tyres
26.4% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Part only £55–£85 for Tread depth below 1.6 mm. What fitting it takes →
1.3 pts down across model years — 7.9% in 2006, 6.6% in 2017.
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
- 77.7%
- Typical mileage
- 66k mi
The 2016 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate is 81.7% of its MOT tests — 2.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 26.4% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Jetta does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.3× the national share
Tyres make up 26.4% of everything recorded on the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, against 19.8% nationally — 6.6 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 18% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
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 2016 Volkswagen Jetta compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 84.0%, so this figure is 2.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 77.7%. The median 2016 Volkswagen Jetta in this dataset had covered 65,500 mi.
The most common fuel recorded here is Diesel — 78% of tests, with a 80.8% pass rate. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 81.6% of the time, April–September 81.8%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Coil spring fractured or broken", noted on 4.74% of tests.
- 2,765 recorded tests behind this page.
- 81.7% overall pass rate, 77.7% 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
- 2,765
- Typical mileage (median)
- 65,500 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
Coil Spring
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Jetta MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 69% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (78% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Jetta
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 481 | 76.9% |
| South East | 418 | 83.5% |
| Yorkshire | 324 | 80.6% |
| North West | 313 | 82.4% |
| West Midlands | 272 | 84.2% |
| East of England | 255 | 83.9% |
| North East | 193 | 80.3% |
| Wales | 153 | 78.4% |
| South West | 144 | 87.5% |
| East Midlands | 128 | 82.0% |
| London | 84 | 85.7% |
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 2016 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.
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 2016 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.
-
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.
-
Check the suspension joints 4.5% of tests
“pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn”
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.
-
Check the windscreen 3.2% 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.
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 2016 Jetta through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £38–£108 — and 18% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £38–£108
- Cheapest common item: malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or…
- £3–£12
- Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
- £80–£250
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 18%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 2,765 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.
- 2005 68.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2006 73.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2007 73.5% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2008 74.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2009 76.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2010 76.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 76.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 76.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2013 76.9% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 78.3% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2015 80.2% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 2016 81.7%coil spring fractured or broken
- 2017 82.4% pins and bushes pin or bush…
- 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 2016 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.
Other 2016 cars with a similar record
- Hyundai I30 81.8%
- Smart Mcc Forfour 81.6%
- Nissan Juke 81.5%
- Fiat TIPO 81.5%
- Renault Scenic 81.5%
- Citroen C3 81.4%
Closest pass rates among 2016 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 2016 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 3,234 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 864 | 26.40% | 19.76% | +6.64 |
| Suspension | 836 | 25.50% | 20.98% | +4.52 |
| Brakes | 816 | 24.90% | 20.89% | +4.01 |
| Visibility | 166 | 5.10% | 4.97% | +0.13 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 159 | 4.90% | 5.52% | −0.62 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 152 | 4.60% | 12.21% | −7.61 |
| Non-component advisories | 116 | 3.50% | 4.18% | −0.68 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 70 | 2.10% | 5.57% | −3.47 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 32 | 1.00% | 1.76% | −0.76 |
| Steering | 23 | 0.70% | 2.57% | −1.87 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coil spring fractured or broken Suspension | Major | 4.7% | £25–65 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 4.5% | £40–150 |
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 3.2% | £80–200 |
| Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | Major | 1.9% | £3–12 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Major | 1.1% | £45–95 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 0.83% | £80–250 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 0.80% | £3–15 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 0.80% | £8–22 |
| Ball joint excessively worn Suspension | Major | 0.72% | £18–45 |
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.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 15.8% | £45–95 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 9.9% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 7.6% | £18–45 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 7.3% | £40–150 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 6.8% | £45–95 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 3.8% | £25–65 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 248 | 84.3% | 21,552 mi |
| 30-60k | 956 | 83.9% | 46,128 mi |
| 60-90k | 837 | 80.4% | 73,824 mi |
| 90-120k | 409 | 77.8% | 102,654 mi |
| 120k+ | 314 | 81.5% | 166,758 mi |
Source: 2,765 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.
2016 Jetta MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta?
81.7% of the 2,765 2016 Volkswagen Jetta tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 84.0% for cars first used in 2016. First-attempt pass rate: 77.7%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta?
The three most recorded items are coil spring fractured or broken (4.74%), pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn (4.52%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.18%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 84.3% of the time, falling to 81.5% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2016 Volkswagen Jetta in this dataset had covered 65,500 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2016 Volkswagen Jetta?
Diesel: 80.8% pass rate across 2,151 tests. Petrol: 84.7% pass rate across 614 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2016 Volkswagen Jetta MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 81.6% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 81.8%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.