2003 Volkswagen Bora: MOT pass rate and reliability
67.9% of 2003 Volkswagen Boras pass the MOT first time, measured across 967 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 146,060 miles.
How the 2003 compares
- Against all Volkswagen Boras (66.2%, 5,384 tests): +1.7 points
- Against all 2003 cars (64.7%): +3.2 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 2003 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 2003 Bora
The 2003 sits close to the Volkswagen Bora average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 23-year-old car fails on
A 2003 car is 23 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 2003 Volkswagen Bora the average at test was 146,060 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 2003 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2000 Volkswagen Bora - 64.9%
- 2001 Volkswagen Bora - 69.6%
- 2002 Volkswagen Bora - 68.9%
- 2004 Volkswagen Bora - 66.7%
- 2005 Volkswagen Bora - 64.9%