Pass rate
82.8%
Around average — 4.2 pts ahead of the 78.6% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 279 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £41–£103
2013 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate
- 2013
- typical 104,286 mi
Most common fault
Brakes
32.4% 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
- 79.5%
- Typical mileage
- 104k mi
The 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate is 82.8% of its MOT tests — 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. Brakes is the biggest single reason it fails, at 32.4% 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: 1.6× the national share
Brakes make up 32.4% of everything recorded on the 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton, against 20.9% nationally — 11.5 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 78.6% and this one manages 82.8% — 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 33% 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 Phaeton? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 78.6%, so this figure is 4.2 points ahead of what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 79.5%. The median 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton in this dataset had covered 104,286 mi.
Pass rates also shift with the test month: tests recorded October–March passed 82.1% of the time, April–September 83.3%.
The single most recorded failure item is "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view", noted on 4.66% of tests.
- 279 recorded tests behind this page.
- 82.8% overall pass rate, 79.5% 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
- 279
- Typical mileage (median)
- 104,286 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
Windscreen
Typically a garage job — get quotes before committing.
Does mileage affect the Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 69% so small gaps stay visible.
Regional pass rates for the Phaeton
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 54 | 87.0% |
| North West | 48 | 81.3% |
| South West | 32 | 75.0% |
| Yorkshire | 31 | 87.1% |
| East Midlands | 24 | 83.3% |
| East of England | 21 | 76.2% |
| West Midlands | 18 | 88.9% |
| North East | 18 | 72.2% |
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 2013 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 2013 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 windscreen 4.7% 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.
-
Check the lights 3.2% 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 wipers and washers 1.8% of tests
“washers not working”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the 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 2013 Phaeton through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £41–£103 — and 33% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £41–£103
- Cheapest common item: washers not working
- £5–£15
- Dearest common item: windscreen damaged
- £80–£200
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 70%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 33%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 279 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 2013 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 2013 cars with a similar record
- Land Rover Range Rover Evoque 82.8%
- Land Rover Defender 82.8%
- Volvo XC70 82.7%
- Smart Mcc Fortwo 82.6%
- BMW 3 Series 82.5%
- Jeep Grand Cherokee 83.1%
Closest pass rates among 2013 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 2013 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 320 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 | 104 | 32.40% | 20.89% | +11.51 |
| Tyres | 78 | 24.30% | 19.76% | +4.54 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 41 | 12.80% | 12.21% | +0.59 |
| Suspension | 28 | 8.70% | 20.98% | −12.28 |
| Visibility | 25 | 7.80% | 4.97% | +2.83 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 16 | 5.00% | 5.52% | −0.52 |
| Non-component advisories | 13 | 4.00% | 4.18% | −0.18 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 8 | 2.50% | 1.76% | +0.74 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4 | 1.20% | 0.82% | +0.38 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 3 | 0.90% | 5.57% | −4.67 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view Visibility | Minor | 4.7% | £80–200 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 3.2% | £45–110 |
| Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Minor | 3.2% | £5–20 |
| Service brake performance excessively binding Brakes | Major | 2.9% | £60–150 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 2.1% | £45–95 |
| Parking brake performance inoperative on one side Brakes | Major | 1.8% | £60–150 |
| Washers not working Visibility | Major | 1.8% | £5–15 |
| Electronic stability control warning lamp indicates a fault Brakes | Major | 1.4% | £3–15 |
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 1.4% | £45–95 |
| Headlamp cleaning device for LED or HID headlamp inoperative Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | Major | 1.4% | £5–25 |
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 | 14.7% | £45–95 |
| Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | Advisory | 7.5% | £40–150 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 7.2% | £45–110 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 6.8% | £18–45 |
| Engine oil leaks leaking excessively from engine Noise, emissions and leaks | Advisory | 5.4% | £200–700 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.6% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 5 | 100.0% | 20,292 mi |
| 30-60k | 31 | 83.9% | 46,300 mi |
| 60-90k | 78 | 84.6% | 75,529 mi |
| 90-120k | 72 | 86.1% | 106,461 mi |
| 120k+ | 93 | 77.4% | 164,762 mi |
Source: 279 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.
2013 Phaeton MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton?
82.8% of the 279 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 78.6% for cars first used in 2013. First-attempt pass rate: 79.5%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton?
The three most recorded items are windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (4.66%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (3.23%), registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources (3.23%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 100.0% of the time, falling to 77.4% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton in this dataset had covered 104,286 mi.
Does the season affect the 2013 Volkswagen Phaeton MOT pass rate?
Tests recorded in the winter months (October–March) passed 82.1% of the time; summer months (April–September) passed 83.3%. Brakes, tyres and lights are tested harder in bad weather, but the difference is small on most models.