2019 Volkswagen California: MOT pass rate and reliability
88.6% of 2019 Volkswagen Californias pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,118 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 32,639 miles.
How the 2019 compares
- Against all Volkswagen Californias (83%, 8,433 tests): +5.6 points
- Against all 2019 cars (87.9%): +0.7 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 2019 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 2019 California
The 2019 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 5.6 points more often than the Volkswagen California 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 7-year-old car fails on
A 2019 car is 7 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 below average for a car this age, worth a mileage-consistency check since an unusually low reading is sometimes clocking rather than luck. On a 2019 Volkswagen California the average at test was 32,639 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.
2019 is the strongest year on record for this model at 88.6%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.
Nearby model years
- 2016 Volkswagen California - 82.1%
- 2017 Volkswagen California - 86.3%
- 2018 Volkswagen California - 88.2%