Pass rate, every year
791,740 tests across 16 model years, 2008–2023.
+5.4 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
791,740 tests across 16 model years, 2008–2023.
+5.4 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2023 94.8%
The strongest of the 16 years on record. See the 2023 page →
Worst year to buy
2009 75.1%
19.7 points below the 2023 peak. See the 2009 page →
The Volkswagen Tiguan MOT pass rate is 86.4%, +5.4 percentage points above the UK average. That is 791,740 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2008 and 2023. This page lists the most common Volkswagen Tiguan MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
MOT pass rates are national — type your postcode to see how Volkswagen Tiguan MOT pass rates does in your corner of the country.
The Volkswagen Tiguan passed on its first attempt in 84.4%, and its overall record sits +5.4 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen Tiguan in the 2023–2025 data: 791,740 tests across 16 model years (2008–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 791,740 |
| Overall pass rate | 86.4% |
| Passed on first attempt | 84.4% |
| Average mileage at test | 74,348 mi |
| Model years covered | 2008–2023 (16 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +5.4 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Suspension section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 34% |
| Visibility | 21% |
| Tyres | 17% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7% |
| Brakes | 5% |
| Steering | 1% |
Shares are over the Volkswagen Tiguan's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 34% of the recorded Volkswagen Tiguan failures fall in the Suspension section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Coil spring fractured or broken" (2.1%), "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (1.9%), "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (0.4%) among the Volkswagen Tiguan's suspension faults.
Around 21% of the recorded Volkswagen Tiguan failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (2.5%), "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (0.5%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.3%) among the Volkswagen Tiguan's visibility faults.
Around 17% of the recorded Volkswagen Tiguan failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (1.4%), "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (1.0%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (0.3%) among the Volkswagen Tiguan's tyres faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen Tiguan, each with how many of the model's 791,740 tests it was noted on.
1 failure item is recorded at least 1.5 times the UK rate on this model.
| Failure item | This model | UK | × UK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nail in tyre | 2.9% | 1.8% | 1.6× | £45–£95 |
Rates are a share of this model's own tests (791,740 for the top row), so a big seller cannot outrank a rare one. The UK figure is the same item's share of every test in our data. Items Tiguan records at or below the UK rate are not listed — this is where it is unusual, not a full inventory. All failure items · parts and costs
The strongest Volkswagen Tiguan model year on record is 2023 (94.8% across 823 tests), and the weakest is 2009 (75.1%). The gap between them is 19.7 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
Volkswagen Tiguan reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Tiguan | 823 | 94.8% |
| 2022 Tiguan | 16,645 | 92.1% |
| 2021 Tiguan | 47,214 | 91.9% |
| 2020 Tiguan | 77,097 | 91.2% |
| 2019 Tiguan | 110,417 | 90.9% |
| 2018 Tiguan | 95,760 | 89.8% |
| 2017 Tiguan | 86,307 | 89.8% |
| 2016 Tiguan | 62,384 | 87.8% |
| 2015 Tiguan | 70,039 | 83.9% |
| 2014 Tiguan | 55,356 | 81.7% |
| 2013 Tiguan | 44,787 | 80.7% |
| 2012 Tiguan | 33,949 | 78.0% |
| 2011 Tiguan | 25,918 | 76.6% |
| 2010 Tiguan | 25,631 | 75.3% |
| 2009 Tiguan | 23,468 | 75.1% |
| 2008 Tiguan | 15,945 | 75.2% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this Volkswagen Tiguan's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volkswagen Tiguan.
the windscreen — “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.
the coil springs — “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.
the suspension joints — “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.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volkswagen Tiguan. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
86.4% of the 791,740 recorded Volkswagen Tiguan MOT tests ended in a pass, +5.4 percentage points above the national average. 84.4% of those passed on the first attempt.
2023 is the strongest Volkswagen Tiguan year on record at 94.8%, while 2009 is the weakest at 75.1%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded Volkswagen Tiguan failures are "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" and "Coil spring fractured or broken" — together around 5% of tests, mostly in the Visibility section.