Pass rate
72.6%
Below average — 0.7 pts behind the 73.3% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 73 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £40–£112
2001 Volkswagen Multivan MOT pass rate
- 2001
- People carrier
- typical 197,971 mi
Only 73 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Brakes
22.2% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2024 98.1% pass
- Avoid 2002 67.3% pass
Across the 6 years on record, a spread of 30.8 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 63.0%
- Typical mileage
- 198k mi
The 2001 Volkswagen Multivan MOT pass rate is 72.6% of its MOT tests — about what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 22.2% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Body & chassis: 2.4× the national share
Body & chassis accounts for 13.4% of everything recorded on the 2001 Volkswagen Multivan, against 5.6% nationally — 7.8 points above. Brakes are still the single largest share at 22.2%, but at 20.9% nationally that one is ordinary. Look underneath for corrosion near the jacking points and suspension mounts; surface rust is normal, flaking metal is not.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 27% 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.
- Based on a small sample. 73 tests back this page. That is enough to publish and to index, not enough to treat the decimal places as precise — read the pattern, not the second digit.
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 Multivan? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2001 Volkswagen Multivan compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 73.3%, so this figure is 0.7 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 63.0%. The median 2001 Volkswagen Multivan in this dataset had covered 197,971 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 67.7% of the time, April–September 76.2%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt", noted on 8.22% of tests.
- 73 recorded tests behind this page.
- 72.6% overall pass rate, 63.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volkswagen Multivan, the average is 94.5% — best year 2024 (98.1%), worst 2002 (67.3%).
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
- 73
- Typical mileage (median)
- 197,971 mi
- Make and model
- Volkswagen Multivan
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Ball Joint
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Multivan MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 42% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the Volkswagen Multivan is most common
Across all Multivan model years on record (2000–2024): 1,874 Volkswagen Multivan cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 3,278 tests. Hayes (UB) has the most, with 569 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayes (UB) | 569 | 97.5% |
| 2 | London (N) | 341 | 94.3% |
| 3 | London (E) | 261 | 98.3% |
| 4 | London (NW) | 139 | 96.6% |
| 5 | Slough (SL) | 23 | 100.0% |
| 6 | Bristol (BS) | 18 | — |
| 7 | Birmingham (B) | 18 | — |
| 8 | Hounslow (TW) | 15 | — |
| 9 | Exeter (EX) | 13 | — |
| 10 | Romford (RM) | 13 | — |
| 11 | Reading (RG) | 13 | — |
| 12 | Sheffield (S) | 13 | — |
| 13 | Guildford (GU) | 12 | — |
| 14 | Croydon (CR) | 12 | — |
| 15 | Nottingham (NG) | 12 | — |
| 16 | Crawley (RH) | 12 | — |
| 17 | Northampton (NN) | 12 | — |
| 18 | Derby (DE) | 11 | — |
| 19 | Cardiff (CF) | 11 | — |
| 20 | Leicester (LE) | 10 | — |
The twenty areas with the most Volkswagen Multivan 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 →
Regional pass rates for the Multivan
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 23 | 56.5% |
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 2001 Multivan
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 2001 Multivan
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 suspension joints 8.2% of tests
“track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated,”
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 exhaust and emissions 4.1% of tests
“exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases”
Listen for a blow at idle and have someone rev it gently. Then look at the tailpipe smoke: blue is oil, white when warm is coolant, black is over-fuelling. Any of those and the emissions test is the least of it.
-
Check the brake pipes 4.1% of tests
“flexible brake hoses slightly chafed”
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 2001 Multivan through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £40–£112 — and 27% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £40–£112
- Cheapest common item: horn not working
- £8–£25
- Dearest common item: steering rack gaiter missing or no longer…
- £120–£300
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 50%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 27%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 73 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 Multivan, side by side
6 model years on record, from 2000 to 2024. Across them the pass rate runs from 67.3% to 98.1% — a spread of 30.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 72.3% joints constant velocity boot…
- 2001 72.6%track rod end ball joint dust…
- 2002 67.3% position lamp not working
- 2022 92.2% has a cut in excess of the…
- 2023 96.4% headlamp aim too high
- 2024 98.1% headlamp aim too high
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 2001 Volkswagen Multivan 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.
The full DVSA record for the 2001 Volkswagen Multivan 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 210 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 | 48 | 22.20% | 20.89% | +1.31 |
| Suspension | 33 | 15.30% | 20.98% | −5.68 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 29 | 13.40% | 5.57% | +7.83 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 22 | 10.20% | 12.21% | −2.01 |
| Tyres | 20 | 9.30% | 19.76% | −10.46 |
| Steering | 20 | 9.30% | 2.57% | +6.73 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18 | 8.30% | 5.52% | +2.78 |
| Visibility | 7 | 3.20% | 4.97% | −1.77 |
| Non-component advisories | 7 | 3.20% | 4.18% | −0.98 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 6 | 2.80% | 1.76% | +1.04 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 8.2% | £18–45 |
| Exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.1% | £45–120 |
| Flexible brake hoses slightly chafed Brakes | Minor | 4.1% | £25–70 |
| Horn not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.1% | £8–25 |
| Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | Major | 4.1% | £80–250 |
| Position lamp not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 4.1% | £5–25 |
| Steering rack gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | Major | 4.1% | £120–300 |
| Electrical wiring insecure Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.7% | £5–25 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.7% | £30–80 |
| Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure | Minor | 2.7% | £80–250 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 17.8% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 17.8% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 15.1% | £45–95 |
| Rigid brake pipes excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 12.3% | £80–180 |
| Coil spring corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened Suspension | Advisory | 9.6% | £25–65 |
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 9.6% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60-90k | 5 | 100.0% | 72,525 mi |
| 90-120k | 6 | 50.0% | 97,476 mi |
| 120k+ | 61 | 72.1% | 214,443 mi |
Source: 73 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.
2001 Multivan MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2001 Volkswagen Multivan?
72.6% of the 73 2001 Volkswagen Multivan tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.3% for cars first used in 2001. First-attempt pass rate: 63.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2001 Volkswagen Multivan?
The three most recorded items are track rod end ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt (8.22%), exhaust system has a major leak of exhaust gases (4.11%), flexible brake hoses slightly chafed (4.11%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2001 Volkswagen Multivan MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 72.1% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2001 Volkswagen Multivan in this dataset had covered 197,971 mi.
Does the season affect the 2001 Volkswagen Multivan MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 67.7% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.2%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.