Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 17.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 1,563 individual Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 94.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 6 in every 100 Volkswagen Polo Life Tsis presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi tested had covered 21,983 miles and was built around 2021.

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 Life Tsi bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

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 Polo Life Tsi 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 Polo Life Tsis actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi

1. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.3% of tests
2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 0.6% of tests
3. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 0.5% of tests
4. Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type, 0.4% of tests (6.25x the national rate for this defect)
5. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.3% of tests
6. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 0.3% of tests
7. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 0.2% of tests
8. A brake on any wheel grabbing severely, 0.2% of tests (12.98x the national rate for this defect)
9. A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber, 0.2% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect)
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 0.2% of tests

From 2,156 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.23% of these flagged Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

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

• Volkswagen T-Roc Design Tsi Evo - 94.3%
• Audi A1 S Line Competition Tfsi S-A - 94.3%
• Nissan GT-R - 94.2%
• Volvo Xc40 Inscription B4 Mhev Awd A - 94.2%
• Ford Puma St-Line Auto - 94.2%
• Dacia Sandero Sway Prestige Tce Cvt - 94.2%

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