Volkswagen Fox: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Fox fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 26,301 individual Volkswagen Fox tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60% first-time pass rate means roughly 40 in every 100 Volkswagen Fox 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 Fox tested had covered 78,497 miles and was built around 2009.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Volkswagen Fox sits 16.7 points below the national average, ranked 1,951 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 Fox 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Volkswagen Fox: £200 at UK salvage auction, from 3 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Fox

1. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 5.1% of tests (10.01x the national rate for this defect)
2. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 11.2% of tests (6.09x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 6% of tests (5.93x the national rate for this defect)
4. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 6.6% of tests (3.94x the national rate for this defect)
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 3.7% of tests (3.9x the national rate for this defect)
6. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 5.8% of tests (3.78x the national rate for this defect)
7. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 5.3% of tests (2.77x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 6.5% of tests (2.76x the national rate for this defect)
9. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 3.3% of tests (2.73x the national rate for this defect)
10. Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.6% of tests (2.66x the national rate for this defect)

From 26,277 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Fox tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.1% of these flagged Volkswagen Fox defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Volkswagen Fox

An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Volkswagen Fox before it actually fails on it.

1. A brake hose ferrule excessively corroded, 6.9% of tests (5.45x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Product on the lens or light source which obviously reduces light intensity or changes emitted colour to other than white or yellow, 5.5% of tests (4.96x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 11.8% of tests (4.14x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. Lamp emitted colour, position or intensity not in accordance with the requirements, 5.2% of tests (3.76x the national rate for this advisory)
5. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 12.1% of tests (2.56x the national rate for this advisory)
6. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.2% of tests (2.12x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 5.5% of tests (2.07x the national rate for this advisory)
8. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 7.9% of tests (2.01x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
9. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 8.2% of tests (1.59x the national rate for this advisory)
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 23.3% of tests (1.51x the national rate for this advisory)

From 26,277 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Fox tests, 2024.

Volkswagen Fox pass rate by model year

From its 2006 to its 2011 model year, the Volkswagen Fox's first-time pass rate has risen 4.2 points, from 61.2% to 65.4%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Volkswagen Fox year:

• 2006 Volkswagen Fox - 61.2% first-time pass, 2,570 tests
• 2007 Volkswagen Fox - 59.3% first-time pass, 4,625 tests
• 2008 Volkswagen Fox - 57.9% first-time pass, 4,265 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Fox - 59.1% first-time pass, 4,714 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Fox - 61.3% first-time pass, 7,487 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Fox - 65.4% first-time pass, 2,382 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

• Alfa Romeo 159 - 60.1%
• Chrysler Pt Cruiser - 60.1%
• Chrysler-Jeep Grand Voyager - 60.1%
• Citroen C2 - 60%
• Fiat Seicento - 60%
• Peugeot 4007 - 59.9%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Britain's most and least reliable cars: 33 million MOT tests analysed
• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences
• Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate