Volkswagen Polo: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Polo fails its first MOT more often than the average UK car, by 5.3 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 599,529 individual Volkswagen Polo tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 71.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 29 in every 100 Volkswagen Polos 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 Polo tested had covered 68,307 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a Volkswagen Polo 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Volkswagen Polo 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 Polos actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 24 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Polo

1. Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.5% of tests (4.46x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 1.6% of tests (2.36x the national rate for this defect)
3. Exhaust system leaking or insecure, 1.7% of tests (2.23x the national rate for this defect)
4. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 1.6% of tests (2.14x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2.6% of tests (1.95x the national rate for this defect)
6. Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, 1.8% of tests (1.81x the national rate for this defect)
7. A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 2% of tests (1.78x the national rate for this defect)
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 3% of tests (1.73x the national rate for this defect)
9. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.9% of tests (1.57x the national rate for this defect)
10. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 4.5% of tests (1.22x the national rate for this defect)

From 901,012 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Polo tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.17% of these flagged Volkswagen Polo defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

Volkswagen Polo 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 Polo year:

• 1991 Volkswagen Polo - 69.4% first-time pass, 242 tests
• 1992 Volkswagen Polo - 72.1% first-time pass, 204 tests
• 1993 Volkswagen Polo - 61.1% first-time pass, 257 tests
• 1996 Volkswagen Polo - 65.5% first-time pass, 339 tests
• 1997 Volkswagen Polo - 64.4% first-time pass, 357 tests
• 1998 Volkswagen Polo - 63.2% first-time pass, 486 tests
• 1999 Volkswagen Polo - 68.6% first-time pass, 895 tests
• 2000 Volkswagen Polo - 63.4% first-time pass, 2,522 tests
• 2001 Volkswagen Polo - 63.5% first-time pass, 3,851 tests
• 2002 Volkswagen Polo - 57.6% first-time pass, 6,136 tests
• 2003 Volkswagen Polo - 57.1% first-time pass, 10,646 tests
• 2004 Volkswagen Polo - 56.7% first-time pass, 13,132 tests
• 2005 Volkswagen Polo - 57.3% first-time pass, 15,607 tests
• 2006 Volkswagen Polo - 57.2% first-time pass, 20,072 tests
• 2007 Volkswagen Polo - 59.7% first-time pass, 23,359 tests
• 2008 Volkswagen Polo - 59.4% first-time pass, 25,516 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Polo - 61.4% first-time pass, 23,478 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Polo - 64.6% first-time pass, 37,787 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Polo - 66% first-time pass, 39,800 tests
• 2012 Volkswagen Polo - 69.9% first-time pass, 37,639 tests
• 2013 Volkswagen Polo - 71.5% first-time pass, 38,815 tests
• 2014 Volkswagen Polo - 74.1% first-time pass, 44,154 tests
• 2015 Volkswagen Polo - 77.2% first-time pass, 51,435 tests
• 2016 Volkswagen Polo - 79.5% first-time pass, 51,747 tests
• 2017 Volkswagen Polo - 81% first-time pass, 45,976 tests
• 2018 Volkswagen Polo - 79% first-time pass, 43,883 tests
• 2019 Volkswagen Polo - 87% first-time pass, 36,670 tests
• 2020 Volkswagen Polo - 91.3% first-time pass, 13,704 tests
• 2021 Volkswagen Polo - 91.6% first-time pass, 6,241 tests
• 2022 Volkswagen Polo - 96.9% first-time pass, 226 tests

Volkswagen Polo by fuel type

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

• Petrol Volkswagen Polo - 72.6% first-time pass, 547,284 tests
• Diesel Volkswagen Polo - 62.6% first-time pass, 48,831 tests

Other Volkswagen models

• Volkswagen Golf - 77.1%
• Volkswagen Transporter - 70.8%
• Volkswagen Tiguan - 82.4%
• Volkswagen Passat - 74.7%
• Volkswagen Caddy - 73.5%
• Volkswagen Up - 84.4%
• Volkswagen Touran - 72.7%
• Volkswagen T-Roc - 92.3%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot Partner - 71.5%
• Mitsubishi Lancer - 71.5%
• Smart (Mcc) Cabriolet - 71.5%
• Toyota Rav-4 - 71.4%
• Peugeot Rcz - 71.4%
• Audi 80 - 71.4%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Does fuel type affect MOT pass rate? Petrol beats diesel in 83% of models
• Best salvage cars for beginners
• 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