2014 Volkswagen California: MOT pass rate and reliability

79.7% of 2014 Volkswagen Californias pass the MOT first time, measured across 743 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 67,432 miles.

How the 2014 compares

  • Against all Volkswagen Californias (83%, 8,433 tests): -3.3 points
  • Against all 2014 cars (75.4%): +4.3 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Volkswagen California model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2014 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volkswagen California:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2010 76.1% 330 78,305
2011 75.6% 390 77,092
2012 77.7% 593 74,692
2013 81.6% 588 72,384
2014 79.7% 743 67,432
2015 81.7% 926 59,300
2016 82.1% 848 54,189
2017 86.3% 1,304 48,780
2018 88.2% 1,156 39,709
2019 88.6% 1,118 32,639

What this means if you are buying a 2014 California

The 2014 is a weaker year for this model, passing 3.3 points less often than the Volkswagen California average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2014 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 12-year-old car fails on

A 2014 car is 12 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 a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2014 Volkswagen California the average at test was 67,432 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 2019 at 88.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2011 at 75.6%. That 13.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2014 car against a newer one tells you very little.

Nearby model years

All Volkswagen California MOT data · Every model