Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A: MOT pass rate and reliability data
The Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 16.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 563 individual Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.
The numbers
| First-time pass rate | 93.3% |
| UK national average | 76.7% |
| Difference | +16.6 points |
| Tests analysed | 563 |
| Average mileage at test | 20,092 miles |
| Average year of manufacture | 2021 |
| Reliability rank | 223 of 2,005 models |
What this means if you are buying one
A 93.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 7 in every 100 Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-As 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 S-A tested had covered 20,092 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. The Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A sits 16.6 points above the national average, ranked 223 of 2,005 models. On one bought as 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 S-A 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 recorded closing bids for damaged Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-As at UK salvage auction.
Common failure reasons
We hold no separate DVSA failure-reason breakdown for the Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A itself, which fails on much the same things as most cars. National car failure mix, DVSA latest quarter:
- Lights and electrics, 10.36% of tests
- Suspension, 8.65% of tests
- Tyres, 6.23% of tests
- Brakes, 6.1% of tests
- Visibility (wipers, washers, glass), 4.65% of tests
Most common MOT advisories on a Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A
An advisory doesn't fail the car - the tester flags it as worth watching, but it still passes. A different list from the failures above: what testers are noting on a Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A before it actually fails on it.
- Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 17.2% of tests
- A tyre seriously damaged, 14.2% of tests
- a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 5% of tests
- Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 2.2% of tests
- Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 1.6% of tests
- A brake on any wheel grabbing severely, 0.4% of tests (3.11x the national rate for this advisory)
- A seat belt webbing or flexible stalk significantly stretched or weakened, 0.2% of tests
- Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 0.2% of tests
- 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., 0.2% of tests
From 557 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Polo Life Tsi S-A tests, 2024.
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
- Citroen C3 Flair + Puretech S/S Auto - 93.3%
- Land Rover Defender Se D Mhev Auto - 93.3%
- Mercedes-Benz Gla 200 Amg Line Premium D A - 93.3%
- Mitsubishi Asx Exceed - 93.3%
- Volkswagen Golf Life Etsi S-A - 93.2%
- Ford Fiesta Trend Turbo Mhev - 93.2%
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
- Do you need an HPI check on a car you know is a write-off?
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