Petrol Volkswagen Beetle: MOT pass rate

62.9% of petrol Volkswagen Beetles pass the MOT first time, measured across 33,409 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 81,086.

Petrol against the other Volkswagen Beetle versions

Fuel Pass rate Tests
Petrol 62.9% 33,409
Diesel 66.1% 10,788
All Volkswagen Beetle63.7%44,215

Why the fuel type changes the number

Petrol cars avoid the DPF and emissions failures that catch diesels, and usually fail on the same consumables as any other car.

On the Volkswagen Beetle specifically, diesel is the strongest at 66.1%, and this petrol version sits 0.8 points below the 63.7% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

There is little to choose between fuel types on this model, so decide on running costs and mileage rather than MOT record. Check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average petrol Volkswagen Beetle had covered 81,086 miles at test, against 87,744 for the diesel. That is above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Volkswagen Beetle page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Other Volkswagen Beetle fuel types

All Volkswagen Beetle MOT data · Every model