Volkswagen Tiguan: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Tiguan passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.7 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 186,699 individual Volkswagen Tiguan tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 82.4% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 Volkswagen Tiguans 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 Tiguan tested had covered 72,066 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. The Volkswagen Tiguan sits 5.7 points above the national average, ranked 1,360 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. See how it stacks up against the Ford Fiesta.

Looking at a specific Volkswagen Tiguan 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 the median recorded closing bid for a damaged Volkswagen Tiguan: £725 at UK salvage auction, from 18 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Tiguan

1. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 0.7% of tests (2.06x the national rate for this defect)
2. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.7% of tests (1.33x the national rate for this defect)
3. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3% of tests (1.31x the national rate for this defect)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 4.1% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 5.3% of tests
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.3% of tests
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.9% of tests
8. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.6% of tests
9. A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, 1.5% of tests
10. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.2% of tests

From 186,484 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Tiguan tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 5.57% of these flagged Volkswagen Tiguan defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Volkswagen Tiguan

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 Tiguan before it actually fails on it.

1. A transmission shaft flexible coupling excessively deteriorated, 0.6% of tests (8.83x the national rate for this advisory)
2. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 18.9% of tests (1.54x the national rate for this advisory)
3. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 20% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
4. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 7.6% of tests (1.47x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 5.4% of tests (1.39x the national rate for this advisory)
6. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 12.1% of tests (1.29x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 31.7% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
8. A tyre seriously damaged, 14% of tests, also fails
9. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 3.1% of tests, also fails
10. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3% of tests

From 186,484 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Tiguan tests, 2024.

Volkswagen Tiguan pass rate by model year

From its 2008 to its 2021 model year, the Volkswagen Tiguan's first-time pass rate has risen 19.2 points, from 68.3% to 87.5%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Volkswagen Tiguan year:

• 2008 Volkswagen Tiguan - 68.3% first-time pass, 4,206 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan - 68.8% first-time pass, 6,073 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan - 67.9% first-time pass, 6,680 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan - 70% first-time pass, 6,787 tests
• 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan - 73.1% first-time pass, 9,016 tests
• 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan - 76.5% first-time pass, 12,318 tests
• 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan - 78.1% first-time pass, 15,362 tests
• 2015 Volkswagen Tiguan - 81.4% first-time pass, 19,921 tests
• 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan - 86.7% first-time pass, 18,652 tests
• 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan - 88.7% first-time pass, 26,509 tests
• 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan - 88.4% first-time pass, 29,438 tests
• 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan - 89.4% first-time pass, 15,641 tests
• 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan - 89.9% first-time pass, 9,342 tests
• 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan - 87.5% first-time pass, 5,823 tests

Volkswagen Tiguan by fuel type

The Volkswagen Tiguan's two most-tested fuel types split by 6.5 points: diesel passes first time 81.8% of the time (158,261 tests) against 88.3% for petrol (27,640 tests).

• Diesel Volkswagen Tiguan - 81.8% first-time pass, 158,261 tests
• Petrol Volkswagen Tiguan - 88.3% first-time pass, 27,640 tests

Other Volkswagen models

• Volkswagen Golf - 77.1%
• Volkswagen Polo - 71.4%
• Volkswagen Transporter - 70.8%
• 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

• BMW 518 - 82.5%
• Maserati Granturismo - 82.5%
• Ford Kuga - 82.4%
• BMW X3 - 82.3%
• Abarth 595 - 82.3%
• Mercedes-Benz V - 82.3%

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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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate