Volkswagen Motor Caravan: MOT pass rate and reliability data
The Volkswagen Motor Caravan fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,594 individual Volkswagen Motor Caravan tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.
The numbers
| First-time pass rate | 70.7% |
| UK national average | 76.7% |
| Difference | -6 points |
| Tests analysed | 1,594 |
| Average mileage at test | 75,385 miles |
| Average year of manufacture | 1991 |
| Reliability rank | 1,740 of 2,005 models |
What this means if you are buying one
A 70.7% first-time pass rate means roughly 29 in every 100 Volkswagen Motor Caravans 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 Motor Caravan tested had covered 75,385 miles and was built around 1991.
What this means at salvage auction
Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volkswagen Motor Caravan 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 Motor Caravan 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 Motor Caravans actually sold for at UK salvage auction.
Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Motor Caravan
- Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, 3.5% of tests (9.59x the national rate for this defect)
- Emissions levels exceed default limits, 2.3% of tests (7.91x the national rate for this defect)
- 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, 4.2% of tests (5.09x the national rate for this defect)
- 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., 1.9% of tests (4.73x the national rate for this defect)
- Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 4.9% of tests (3.97x the national rate for this defect)
- Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.2% of tests (3.97x the national rate for this defect)
- Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.9% of tests (3.79x the national rate for this defect)
- Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 3.2% of tests (3.25x the national rate for this defect)
- A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED, 2.8% of tests (3.15x the national rate for this defect)
- The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 4.3% of tests (2.45x the national rate for this defect)
From 2,553 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Motor Caravan tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 3.68% of these flagged Volkswagen Motor Caravan defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.
Volkswagen Motor Caravan by fuel type
Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:
- Petrol Volkswagen Motor Caravan - 70.1% first-time pass, 1,082 tests
- Diesel Volkswagen Motor Caravan - 74.9% first-time pass, 470 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
- Skoda Roomster - 70.8%
- Mercedes-Benz Viano - 70.7%
- Mazda Rx-8 - 70.7%
- Rover 216 - 70.7%
- Land Rover Freelander - 70.6%
- Hyundai I30 - 70.5%
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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