Diesel Volkswagen Golf: MOT pass rate
74.7% of diesel Volkswagen Golfs pass the MOT first time, measured across 418,156 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 110,181.
Diesel against the other Volkswagen Golf versions
| Fuel | Pass rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Diesel | 74.7% | 418,156 |
| Petrol | 80.3% | 402,617 |
| Hybrid | 86.5% | 9,378 |
| Electric | 87.8% | 811 |
| All Volkswagen Golf | 77.5% | 830,977 |
Why the fuel type changes the number
Diesels carry DPFs, EGR valves and stricter smoke limits, so emissions and exhaust faults account for failures petrol cars never see.
On the Volkswagen Golf specifically, electric is the strongest at 87.8%, and this diesel version sits 2.8 points below the 77.5% model average.
What it means if you are buying one
The diesel Volkswagen Golf fails more often than the model average, so budget for the items that catch this fuel type and treat a fresh MOT as worth paying for. Check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.
Mileage is part of the answer
The average diesel Volkswagen Golf had covered 110,181 miles at test, against 77,612 for the petrol and 62,324 for the hybrid and 47,906 for the electric. That is high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself.
Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Volkswagen Golf page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.
Other Volkswagen Golf fuel types
- Petrol Volkswagen Golf - 80.3%
- Hybrid Volkswagen Golf - 86.5%
- Electric Volkswagen Golf - 87.8%