Pass rate
79.2%
Around average — 6.8 pts ahead of the 72.4% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 154 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £32–£88
2005 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate
- 2005
- typical 123,484 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
28.3% of faults · 20.9% nationally
mostly worn pads and discs, corroded pipes and a handbrake that will not hold.
Which year to buy
- Best 2014 87.1% pass
- Avoid 2004 73.0% pass
Across the 12 years on record, a spread of 14.1 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 75.0%
- Typical mileage
- 123k mi
The 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate is 79.2% of its MOT tests — 6.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 28.3% of what testers record.
Check your postcode
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Phaeton does in your corner of the country.
Expert verdict
Brakes: 1.4× the national share
Brakes make up 28.3% of everything recorded on the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton, against 20.9% nationally — 7.4 points above. Have the discs and pads measured rather than glanced at, and ask whether the handbrake holds on a slope.
- Beats its own age and mileage. Once you allow for how old and how far these cars have been driven, the expected pass rate is 72.4% and this one manages 79.2% — 6.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- Based on a small sample. 154 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 Phaeton? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 72.4%, so this figure is 6.8 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 75.0%. The median 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton in this dataset had covered 123,484 mi.
75% of the tests on this vehicle ran on Diesel, which passed 80.9% of the time. Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 81.4% of the time, April–September 76.5%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements", noted on 4.55% of tests.
- 154 recorded tests behind this page.
- 79.2% overall pass rate, 75.0% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the Volkswagen Phaeton, the average is 82.0% — best year 2014 (87.1%), worst 2004 (73.0%).
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
- 154
- Typical mileage (median)
- 123,484 mi
- Make and model
- Volkswagen Phaeton
- Updated
- 2026-11-05
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Brake Discs and Pads Set
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 62% so small gaps stay visible.
Fuel type and reliability
Pass rate by fuel type. Diesel is the most common here (75% of tests).
Regional pass rates for the Phaeton
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 49 | 79.6% |
| Scotland | 24 | 79.2% |
| West Midlands | 17 | 64.7% |
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 2005 Phaeton
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 2005 Phaeton
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 lights 3.9% 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.
-
Check the suspension joints 2.6% 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 steering 1.9% of tests
“steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,”
With the wheels straight, rock the steering wheel gently with the engine off — more than about an inch of free play before the wheels move is worth investigating. Split rack gaiters are cheap to replace and commonly recorded.
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 2005 Phaeton through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £32–£88 — and 45% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £32–£88
- Cheapest common item: mirrors slightly damaged
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated,
- £120–£300
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 60%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 45%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 154 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 Phaeton, side by side
12 model years on record, from 2003 to 2014. Across them the pass rate runs from 73.0% to 87.1% — a spread of 14.1 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2003 77.4% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2004 73.0% malfunction indicator lamp…
- 2005 79.2%rbt (sp) efficiency below…
- 2006 81.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2007 82.4% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2008 82.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2009 81.6% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2010 81.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2011 83.9% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2012 84.3% registration plate lamp(s)…
- 2013 82.8% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2014 87.1% headlamp not working on dipped…
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 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton 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 2005 cars with a similar record
- Toyota Prius 79.3%
- MG Tf 78.9%
- Jaguar Xj 79.6%
- Nissan 350 Z 78.7%
- Lexus GS300 79.8%
- Mercedes-Benz Cls 79.9%
Closest pass rates among 2005 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 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton 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 266 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 | 76 | 28.30% | 20.89% | +7.41 |
| Tyres | 53 | 19.70% | 19.76% | −0.06 |
| Suspension | 41 | 15.20% | 20.98% | −5.78 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 34 | 12.60% | 12.21% | +0.39 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 22 | 8.20% | 5.52% | +2.68 |
| Visibility | 16 | 5.90% | 4.97% | +0.93 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8 | 3.00% | 5.57% | −2.57 |
| Steering | 8 | 3.00% | 2.57% | +0.43 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 5 | 1.90% | 1.76% | +0.14 |
| Non-component advisories | 3 | 1.10% | 4.18% | −3.08 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 4.5% | £45–110 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.9% | £5–20 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 3.3% | £60–150 |
| Headlamp aim projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 2.6% | £30–80 |
| Headlamp lens slightly defective Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 2.6% | £5–25 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Major | 2.6% | £40–150 |
| Mirrors slightly damaged Visibility | Minor | 1.9% | £3–15 |
| Side repeaters with a multiple light source up to 1/2 not functioning Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 1.9% | £3–15 |
| Steering rack gaiter damaged or deteriorated, but preventing the ingress of dirt Steering | Minor | 1.9% | £120–300 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 1.9% | £5–15 |
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 | 17.5% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 14.9% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 10.4% | £45–110 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 7.1% | £200–700 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 6.5% | £18–45 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 6.5% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30-60k | 1 | 100.0% | 58,207 mi |
| 60-90k | 20 | 70.0% | 78,401 mi |
| 90-120k | 51 | 80.4% | 106,283 mi |
| 120k+ | 79 | 81.0% | 151,651 mi |
Source: 154 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.
2005 Phaeton MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton?
79.2% of the 154 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 72.4% for cars first used in 2005. First-attempt pass rate: 75.0%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton?
The three most recorded items are rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (4.55%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.90%), service brake performance excessively binding (3.25%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 81.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton in this dataset had covered 123,484 mi.
Which fuel type is most reliable for a 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton?
Diesel: 80.9% pass rate across 115 tests. Petrol: 74.4% pass rate across 39 tests. Shares are of the tests on this vehicle that recorded each fuel type.
Does the season affect the 2005 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 81.4% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 76.5%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.