Volkswagen Lt: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Lt fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 16.1 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 2,770 individual Volkswagen Lt tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 60.6% first-time pass rate means roughly 39 in every 100 Volkswagen Lts 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 Lt tested had covered 144,494 miles and was built around 2001.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volkswagen Lt 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 Lt 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 Lts actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Lt

1. Service brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 5.6% of tests (33.35x the national rate for this defect)
2. Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.6% of tests (9.97x the national rate for this defect)
3. A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 8.4% of tests (9.42x the national rate for this defect)
4. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 3.1% of tests (9.2x the national rate for this defect)
5. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 8.7% of tests (8.88x the national rate for this defect)
6. Brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., 3.4% of tests (8.55x the national rate for this defect)
7. 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, 6.6% of tests (7.94x the national rate for this defect)
8. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 4.5% of tests (5.41x the national rate for this defect)
9. A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps, 3.2% of tests (4.92x the national rate for this defect)
10. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 3.4% of tests (4.49x the national rate for this defect)

From 12,142 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Lt tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.73% of these flagged Volkswagen Lt defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volkswagen Lt 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 Lt year:

• 1998 Volkswagen Lt - 60.6% first-time pass, 236 tests
• 1999 Volkswagen Lt - 60.6% first-time pass, 282 tests
• 2000 Volkswagen Lt - 55.3% first-time pass, 273 tests
• 2001 Volkswagen Lt - 56.7% first-time pass, 367 tests
• 2002 Volkswagen Lt - 59.3% first-time pass, 639 tests
• 2003 Volkswagen Lt - 65.4% first-time pass, 781 tests
• 2004 Volkswagen Lt - 62% first-time pass, 1,054 tests
• 2005 Volkswagen Lt - 59.7% first-time pass, 1,182 tests
• 2006 Volkswagen Lt - 60% first-time pass, 1,024 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

• Kia Sedona - 60.7%
• Jeep Compass Limited Crd - 60.7%
• Renault Grand Scenic - 60.6%
• Alfa Romeo GT - 60.5%
• Citroen Ds3 - 60.4%
• Volvo V50 - 60.4%

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