2000 Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate

Pass rate

71.5%

Below average — 2.3 pts behind the 73.8% that cars this age and mileage manage.

Across 1,874 recorded tests.

Typical repair bill £46–£135

Which year to buy

  • Best 2023 95.3% pass
  • Avoid 2000 71.5% pass · this year

Across the 24 years on record, a spread of 23.8 points. See every year →

First-attempt pass
62.8%
Typical mileage
155k mi

The 2000 Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate is 71.5% of its MOT tests — 2.3 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Suspension is the biggest single reason it fails, at 20.8% of what testers record.

MOT PASS RATES

The 2000 Volkswagen Passat on the real record

71.5% of 2000 Volkswagen Passat MOTs passed — 1,874 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 Passat does in your corner of the country.

How one model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Expert verdict

Emissions & leaks: 1.9× the national share

Emissions & leaks make up 10.6% of everything recorded on the 2000 Volkswagen Passat, against 5.5% nationally — 5.1 points above. Suspension is still the single largest share at 20.8%, but at 21.0% nationally that one is ordinary. A smoky diesel or a leaking joint fails on emissions more often than on wear, so ask for a recent emissions printout.

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 Passat? Get an email when these numbers change .

How does the 2000 Volkswagen Passat compare?

Cars of this age and mileage average 73.8%, 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 62.8%. The median 2000 Volkswagen Passat in this dataset had covered 155,184 mi.

53% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 73.0% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 70.9% of the time, April–September 72.0%.

The single most recorded failure item is "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated", noted on 9.93% of tests.

  • 1,874 recorded tests behind this page.
  • 71.5% overall pass rate, 62.8% on a first attempt.
  • Across every year of the Volkswagen Passat, the average is 80.2% — best year 2023 (95.3%), worst 2000 (71.5%).

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
1,874
Typical mileage (median)
155,184 mi
Make and model
Volkswagen Passat
Updated
2026-11-05

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

Top part to budget for

Body Panel Repair

Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.

Does mileage affect the Passat MOT pass rate?

0-30k 100.0%
30-60k 80.5%
60-90k 76.7%
90-120k 75.1%
120k+ 69.8%

Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 61% so small gaps stay visible.

Fuel type and reliability

Diesel 73.0%
Petrol 69.6%

Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (53% of tests).

Regional pass rates for the Passat

Region Tests Pass rate
South East 428 74.1%
South West 270 66.3%
East of England 268 66.0%
West Midlands 218 72.5%
North West 164 72.0%
Yorkshire 115 73.9%
East Midlands 112 69.6%
Wales 92 72.8%
Scotland 88 77.3%
London 61 88.5%
North East 58 65.5%

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 2000 Passat

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 20.8%
in line with the national share national 21.0% Price suspension parts
Brakes 17.8%
−3.1 pts vs national national 20.9% Price brakes parts
Lamps & electrics 16.8%
+4.6 pts vs national national 12.2% Order bulbs & wipers
Emissions & leaks 10.6%
+5.1 pts vs national national 5.5% Price emissions & leaks parts
Show the other 6 fault categories
  • Tyres 10.3%
  • Body & chassis 8.7%
  • Visibility 4.3%
  • Identification 4.1%
  • Steering 3.7%
  • Advisories 1.4%

Shares are of every item recorded on 2000 Volkswagen Passat 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 2000 Passat

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 windscreen 7.4% 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.

  2. Check the lights 7.1% of tests

    “headlamp lens slightly defective”

    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.

  3. Check the suspension joints 6.1% of tests

    “ball joint 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.

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 2000 Passat through its MOT

Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £46–£135 — and 23% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.

Average repair across the 10 common items
£46–£135
Cheapest common item: registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the…
£5–£20
Dearest common item: joints constant velocity boot severely…
£80–£250
Common items a careful owner can do at home
40%
Repairs that still cost under £30
23%

Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 1,874 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 Passat, side by side

24 model years on record, from 2000 to 2023. Across them the pass rate runs from 71.5% to 95.3% — a spread of 23.8 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.

  1. 2000 71.5%
    joints constant velocity boot…
  2. 2001 72.8% joints constant velocity boot…
  3. 2002 73.3% joints constant velocity boot…
  4. 2003 73.1% joints constant velocity boot…
  5. 2004 74.3% joints constant velocity boot…
  6. 2005 74.1% joints constant velocity boot…
  7. 2006 72.4% joints constant velocity boot…
  8. 2007 73.7% joints constant velocity boot…
  9. 2008 74.7% joints constant velocity boot…
  10. 2009 75.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
  11. 2010 75.5% registration plate lamp(s)…
  12. 2011 76.8% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  13. 2012 77.4% coil spring fractured or broken
  14. 2013 78.7% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  15. 2014 80.0% pins and bushes pin or bush…
  16. 2015 84.6% windscreen damaged but not…
  17. 2016 85.8% windscreen damaged but not…
  18. 2017 86.9% shock absorbers has a serious…
  19. 2018 88.6% windscreen damaged but not…
  20. 2019 89.3% windscreen damaged but not…
  21. 2020 90.6% windscreen damaged but not…
  22. 2021 90.3% windscreen damaged but not…
  23. 2022 90.5% windscreen damaged but not…
  24. 2023 95.3% has a cut in excess of the…

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 2000 Volkswagen Passat 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 2000 with another year →

Compare two different cars instead →

Other 2000 cars with a similar record

Closest pass rates among 2000 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 2000 Volkswagen Passat 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 6,300 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 1,331 20.80% 20.98% −0.18
Brakes 1,140 17.80% 20.89% −3.09
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 1,071 16.80% 12.21% +4.59
Noise, emissions and leaks 676 10.60% 5.52% +5.08
Tyres 661 10.30% 19.76% −9.46
Body, chassis, structure 554 8.70% 5.57% +3.13
Visibility 277 4.30% 4.97% −0.67
Identification of the vehicle 263 4.10% 1.76% +2.34
Steering 239 3.70% 2.57% +1.13
Non-component advisories 88 1.40% 4.18% −2.78

The exact failure items, in the tester's words

Share of the 1,874 tests on this vehicle that recorded each item
Recorded item Severity Tests Est. cost Part
Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated Body, chassis, structure Minor 9.9% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility Minor 7.4% £80–200 Windscreen →
Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 7.1% £5–25 Headlight Bulb →
Joints constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure Major 6.5% £80–250 Body Panel Repair →
Ball joint excessively worn Suspension Major 6.1% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Minor 6.0% £5–20 Number Plate Lamp →
Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment Major 5.5% £30–80 Headlight Alignment →
Track rod end ball joint has excessive play Steering Major 3.6% £18–45 Ball Joint →
Catalyst emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks Major 2.3% £60–250 Emissions Repair →
Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes Major 2.3% £60–150 Brake Servicing →

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
Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks Advisory 23.3% £200–700
Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Advisory 18.6% £45–95
Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes Advisory 16.2% £45–110
Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension Advisory 13.4% £40–150
Registration plates inscription illegible Identification of the vehicle Advisory 12.8% £20–80
Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres Advisory 9.6% £45–95

Pass rate by mileage

Mileage Tests Pass rate Median odometer
0-30k 3 100.0% 14,020 mi
30-60k 41 80.5% 51,877 mi
60-90k 172 76.7% 77,601 mi
90-120k 273 75.1% 105,849 mi
120k+ 1,373 69.8% 183,451 mi

Source: 1,874 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.

2000 Passat MOT questions

What is the MOT pass rate for a 2000 Volkswagen Passat?

71.5% of the 1,874 2000 Volkswagen Passat tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 73.8% for cars first used in 2000. First-attempt pass rate: 62.8%.

What are the most common MOT failures on a 2000 Volkswagen Passat?

The three most recorded items are joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated (9.93%), windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (7.36%), headlamp lens slightly defective (7.10%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.

Does mileage affect the 2000 Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate?

Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 69.8% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2000 Volkswagen Passat in this dataset had covered 155,184 mi.

Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2000 Volkswagen Passat?

Diesel: 73.0% pass rate across 1,001 tests. Petrol: 69.6% pass rate across 869 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.

Does the season affect the 2000 Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate?

Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 70.9% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 72.0%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.