Volkswagen Caravelle: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Caravelle fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 8.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 17,735 individual Volkswagen Caravelle tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 68% first-time pass rate means roughly 32 in every 100 Volkswagen Caravelles presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is worse than average, so budget for remedial work and treat a fresh 12-month MOT as a genuine selling point rather than a given. The average Volkswagen Caravelle tested had covered 127,299 miles and was built around 2006.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volkswagen Caravelle bought as a repairable salvage, assume the mechanical side needs more than the visible accident damage, and pad your repair estimate accordingly.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific Volkswagen Caravelle rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged Volkswagen Caravelles actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Caravelle

1. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 2.9% of tests (8x the national rate for this defect)
2. The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, 3.9% of tests (4.75x the national rate for this defect)
3. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.5% of tests (4.47x the national rate for this defect)
4. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.9% of tests (2.28x the national rate for this defect)
5. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 2.6% of tests (2.11x the national rate for this defect)
6. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.7% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect)
7. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.7% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
9. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.9% of tests (1.68x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.9% of tests (1.4x the national rate for this defect)

From 31,545 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Caravelle tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.35% of these flagged Volkswagen Caravelle defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volkswagen Caravelle pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each Volkswagen Caravelle year:

• 1994 Volkswagen Caravelle - 55.3% first-time pass, 208 tests
• 1995 Volkswagen Caravelle - 55.6% first-time pass, 297 tests
• 1996 Volkswagen Caravelle - 53.2% first-time pass, 284 tests
• 1997 Volkswagen Caravelle - 58.9% first-time pass, 394 tests
• 1998 Volkswagen Caravelle - 61.2% first-time pass, 407 tests
• 1999 Volkswagen Caravelle - 61.3% first-time pass, 403 tests
• 2000 Volkswagen Caravelle - 61% first-time pass, 546 tests
• 2001 Volkswagen Caravelle - 63.8% first-time pass, 635 tests
• 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle - 65.6% first-time pass, 680 tests
• 2003 Volkswagen Caravelle - 61.6% first-time pass, 571 tests
• 2004 Volkswagen Caravelle - 60.3% first-time pass, 501 tests
• 2005 Volkswagen Caravelle - 58.8% first-time pass, 651 tests
• 2006 Volkswagen Caravelle - 60.2% first-time pass, 603 tests
• 2007 Volkswagen Caravelle - 63.2% first-time pass, 590 tests
• 2008 Volkswagen Caravelle - 61.4% first-time pass, 567 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Caravelle - 62.5% first-time pass, 408 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Caravelle - 67.2% first-time pass, 601 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Caravelle - 74.4% first-time pass, 668 tests
• 2012 Volkswagen Caravelle - 75.7% first-time pass, 812 tests
• 2013 Volkswagen Caravelle - 75.1% first-time pass, 700 tests
• 2014 Volkswagen Caravelle - 75% first-time pass, 632 tests
• 2015 Volkswagen Caravelle - 73.7% first-time pass, 718 tests
• 2016 Volkswagen Caravelle - 77% first-time pass, 1,040 tests
• 2017 Volkswagen Caravelle - 81.5% first-time pass, 971 tests
• 2018 Volkswagen Caravelle - 80.2% first-time pass, 665 tests
• 2019 Volkswagen Caravelle - 84.9% first-time pass, 727 tests

Volkswagen Caravelle by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel Volkswagen Caravelle - 68.9% first-time pass, 14,997 tests
• Petrol Volkswagen Caravelle - 67.2% first-time pass, 2,594 tests

Other Volkswagen models

• Volkswagen Golf - 77.1%
• Volkswagen Polo - 71.4%
• Volkswagen Transporter - 70.8%
• Volkswagen Tiguan - 82.4%
• Volkswagen Passat - 74.7%
• Volkswagen Caddy - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Up - 84.4%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Fiat Qubo - 68.1%
• Ford Fusion - 68%
• Honda Accord - 68%
• Ssangyong Musso - 68%
• Vauxhall Omega - 68%
• Isuzu D-Max Utah D/C Intercooler Td - 68%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate