2002 Volkswagen Bora: MOT pass rate and reliability

68.9% of 2002 Volkswagen Boras pass the MOT first time, measured across 819 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 145,537 miles.

How the 2002 compares

  • Against all Volkswagen Boras (66.2%, 5,384 tests): +2.7 points
  • Against all 2002 cars (65.4%): +3.5 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Volkswagen Bora model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2002 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volkswagen Bora:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2000 64.9% 350 135,830
2001 69.6% 481 138,411
2002 68.9% 819 145,537
2003 67.9% 967 146,060
2004 66.7% 1,014 137,656
2005 64.9% 1,383 137,063

What this means if you are buying a 2002 Bora

The 2002 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 2.7 points more often than the Volkswagen Bora average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 24-year-old car fails on

A 2002 car is 24 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2002 Volkswagen Bora the average at test was 145,537 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

The strongest year for this model is 2001 at 69.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2000 at 64.9%. That 4.7 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2002 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Volkswagen Bora MOT data · Every model