Volkswagen Beetle: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Beetle fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 13.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 44,586 individual Volkswagen Beetle tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 63.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 37 in every 100 Volkswagen Beetles presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Volkswagen Beetle tested had covered 81,108 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volkswagen Beetle bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Volkswagen Beetle rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Volkswagen Beetles actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 4 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Beetle

1. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.7% of tests (7.85x the national rate for this defect)
2. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 3.2% of tests (5.88x the national rate for this defect)
3. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 4.2% of tests (5.03x the national rate for this defect)
4. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 2.9% of tests (3.14x the national rate for this defect)
5. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.7% of tests (3.05x the national rate for this defect)
6. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.8% of tests (2.75x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.7% of tests (2.42x the national rate for this defect)
8. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.7% of tests (2.22x the national rate for this defect)
9. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2% of tests (2.08x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 2.8% of tests (2.06x the national rate for this defect)

From 69,697 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Beetle tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.65% of these flagged Volkswagen Beetle defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volkswagen Beetle pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Volkswagen Beetle year:

• 2000 Volkswagen Beetle - 54.9% first-time pass, 679 tests
• 2001 Volkswagen Beetle - 57.7% first-time pass, 1,021 tests
• 2002 Volkswagen Beetle - 56.2% first-time pass, 1,220 tests
• 2003 Volkswagen Beetle - 55% first-time pass, 2,524 tests
• 2004 Volkswagen Beetle - 55.4% first-time pass, 3,423 tests
• 2005 Volkswagen Beetle - 57.2% first-time pass, 3,087 tests
• 2006 Volkswagen Beetle - 55.5% first-time pass, 3,042 tests
• 2007 Volkswagen Beetle - 54.2% first-time pass, 2,842 tests
• 2008 Volkswagen Beetle - 56.3% first-time pass, 2,406 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Beetle - 59.8% first-time pass, 1,789 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Beetle - 62.3% first-time pass, 2,092 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Beetle - 62.7% first-time pass, 659 tests
• 2012 Volkswagen Beetle - 69.8% first-time pass, 2,272 tests
• 2013 Volkswagen Beetle - 68.8% first-time pass, 4,438 tests
• 2014 Volkswagen Beetle - 71.6% first-time pass, 3,584 tests
• 2015 Volkswagen Beetle - 72.8% first-time pass, 3,260 tests
• 2016 Volkswagen Beetle - 74.3% first-time pass, 2,260 tests
• 2017 Volkswagen Beetle - 77.3% first-time pass, 1,501 tests
• 2018 Volkswagen Beetle - 81.4% first-time pass, 911 tests

Volkswagen Beetle by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Petrol Volkswagen Beetle - 62.9% first-time pass, 33,409 tests
• Diesel Volkswagen Beetle - 66.1% first-time pass, 10,788 tests

Other Volkswagen models

• Volkswagen Golf - 77.1%
• Volkswagen Polo - 71.4%
• Volkswagen Transporter - 70.8%
• Volkswagen Tiguan - 82.4%
• Volkswagen Passat - 74.7%
• Volkswagen Caddy - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Up - 84.4%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Vauxhall Antara - 63.6%
• Fiat Punto - 63.5%
• Daihatsu Hijet - 63.3%
• Volvo S40 - 63.2%
• Peugeot 306 - 63.2%
• Isuzu Tf - 63.2%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate