Volkswagen Up MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

Volkswagen Up MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The Volkswagen Up passed on its first attempt in 85.2%, and its overall record sits +6.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the Volkswagen Up in the 2023–2025 data: 416,420 tests across 12 model years (2012–2023). 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 Up MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the Volkswagen Up, the Visibility 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 Up's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded Volkswagen Up DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the Volkswagen Up, each with how many of the model's 416,420 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 6,551 Volkswagen Up tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Service brake performance excessively binding" (Major) — noted on about 5,969 Volkswagen Up tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Rectified) — noted on about 5,334 Volkswagen Up tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Headlamp aim too low" (Rectified) — noted on about 4,049 Volkswagen Up tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 4,008 Volkswagen Up tests, 1.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Rectified) — noted on about 2,577 Volkswagen Up tests, 0.6% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst Volkswagen Up Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest Volkswagen Up model year on record is 2023 (95.8% across 71 tests), and the weakest is 2012 (83.8%). The gap between them is 12.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Volkswagen Up 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.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for Volkswagen Up Owners

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

• 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 wipers and washers — “wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively”

  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.

• the lights — “headlamp aim too low”

  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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Volkswagen Up MOT & Reliability