Volkswagen Touareg: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The Volkswagen Touareg passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 1.5 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 34,801 individual Volkswagen Touareg tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 78.2% first-time pass rate means roughly 22 in every 100 Volkswagen Touaregs 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 Touareg tested had covered 95,595 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. The Volkswagen Touareg sits 1.5 points above the national average, ranked 1,514 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 Touareg 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 Touareg: £525 at UK salvage auction, from 8 ended listings, not independently confirmed sales.

Most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Touareg

1. An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 2.9% of tests (6.53x the national rate for this defect)
2. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 8.3% of tests (3.64x the national rate for this defect)
3. An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction, 0.9% of tests (2.12x the national rate for this defect)
4. Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction, 1.5% of tests (1.18x the national rate for this defect)
5. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.2% of tests
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.3% of tests
7. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 2.1% of tests
8. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 1.7% of tests
9. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.5% of tests
10. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.3% of tests

From 34,777 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Touareg tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 4.77% of these flagged Volkswagen Touareg defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 5.11% nationally.

Most common MOT advisories on a Volkswagen Touareg

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 Touareg before it actually fails on it.

1. Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended, 0.9% of tests (7.77x the national rate for this advisory)
2. A flexible brake hose excessively damaged, deteriorated, chafed, twisted or stretched, 2.6% of tests (4.55x the national rate for this advisory)
3. Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users, 8.3% of tests (1.49x the national rate for this advisory)
4. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 12.5% of tests (1.34x the national rate for this advisory), also fails
5. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 4.1% of tests (1.29x the national rate for this advisory)
6. A suspension component excessively damaged or corroded, 6.6% of tests (1.28x the national rate for this advisory)
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 30.2% of tests, also fails
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 10.7% of tests, also fails
9. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 9.1% of tests
10. A tyre seriously damaged, 6.6% of tests, also fails

From 34,777 DVSA-tracked Volkswagen Touareg tests, 2024.

Volkswagen Touareg pass rate by model year

From its 2004 to its 2020 model year, the Volkswagen Touareg's first-time pass rate has risen 20.5 points, from 71.8% to 92.3%, the usual pattern: a newer model year is a younger car today, so it fails less. First-time pass rate for each Volkswagen Touareg year:

• 2004 Volkswagen Touareg - 71.8% first-time pass, 613 tests
• 2005 Volkswagen Touareg - 68.9% first-time pass, 1,130 tests
• 2006 Volkswagen Touareg - 71.7% first-time pass, 1,634 tests
• 2007 Volkswagen Touareg - 69.4% first-time pass, 1,973 tests
• 2008 Volkswagen Touareg - 69.5% first-time pass, 1,455 tests
• 2009 Volkswagen Touareg - 71.6% first-time pass, 1,103 tests
• 2010 Volkswagen Touareg - 73.7% first-time pass, 734 tests
• 2011 Volkswagen Touareg - 77.6% first-time pass, 1,704 tests
• 2012 Volkswagen Touareg - 79.3% first-time pass, 1,875 tests
• 2013 Volkswagen Touareg - 79.5% first-time pass, 2,351 tests
• 2014 Volkswagen Touareg - 82% first-time pass, 3,093 tests
• 2015 Volkswagen Touareg - 78.5% first-time pass, 4,158 tests
• 2016 Volkswagen Touareg - 81.2% first-time pass, 3,853 tests
• 2017 Volkswagen Touareg - 79% first-time pass, 3,306 tests
• 2018 Volkswagen Touareg - 86.5% first-time pass, 1,578 tests
• 2019 Volkswagen Touareg - 86.9% first-time pass, 2,939 tests
• 2020 Volkswagen Touareg - 92.3% first-time pass, 639 tests
• 2021 Volkswagen Touareg - 91.3% first-time pass, 276 tests

Volkswagen Touareg by fuel type

The Volkswagen Touareg's two most-tested fuel types split by 1.1 points: diesel passes first time 78.6% of the time (33,838 tests) against 79.7% for petrol (691 tests).

• Diesel Volkswagen Touareg - 78.6% first-time pass, 33,838 tests
• Petrol Volkswagen Touareg - 79.7% first-time pass, 691 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

• Jeep Renegade - 78.3%
• Jaguar Xj - 78.3%
• Jaguar Xjr - 78.3%
• Citroen C4 Picasso - 78.2%
• Audi A3 - 78.1%
• Honda Insight - 78.1%

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?

Embed this data

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate