Volkswagen Transporter MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volkswagen Transporter MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volkswagen Transporter passed on its first attempt in 73.9%, and its overall record sits −2.1 percentage points below the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen Transporter in the 2023–2025 data: 1,025,245 tests across 24 model years (2000–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common Volkswagen Transporter MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen Transporter, the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the Volkswagen Transporter's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volkswagen Transporter DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen Transporter, each with how many of the model's 1,025,245 tests it was noted on.

• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 79,286 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 7.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 56,141 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 5.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Joints constant velocity boot severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 26,380 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 2.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 25,631 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 2.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 22,371 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 18,024 Volkswagen Transporter tests, 1.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volkswagen Transporter Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volkswagen Transporter model year on record is 2023 (91.7% across 424 tests), and the weakest is 2000 (69.5%). The gap between them is 22.2 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Volkswagen Transporter reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 1.1 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volkswagen Transporter Owners

These checks follow this Volkswagen Transporter's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a Volkswagen Transporter.

• the lights — “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.

• 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 suspension joints — “ball joint dust cover severely 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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the Volkswagen Transporter. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions: Volkswagen Transporter MOT & Reliability