2021 Volkswagen Up: MOT pass rate and reliability

95.6% of 2021 Volkswagen Ups pass the MOT first time, measured across 945 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 17,312 miles.

How the 2021 compares

  • Against all Volkswagen Ups (84.7%, 121,174 tests): +10.9 points
  • Against all 2021 cars (90%): +5.6 points
  • National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%

Every Volkswagen Up model year

Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2021 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the Volkswagen Up:

Year Pass rate Tests Avg mileage
2012 80% 13,917 69,500
2013 82.6% 20,054 62,158
2014 83.3% 20,917 55,950
2015 83.5% 16,211 49,205
2016 83.5% 12,795 42,933
2017 86.5% 13,208 38,603
2018 88.7% 12,892 31,880
2019 92.5% 8,294 25,877
2020 94.6% 1,883 19,589
2021 95.6% 945 17,312

What this means if you are buying a 2021 Up

The 2021 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 10.9 points more often than the Volkswagen Up average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.

What a 5-year-old car fails on

A 2021 car is 5 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:

  • Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
  • Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
  • Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
  • Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
  • Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
  • Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested

That is low mileage, which usually means light urban use. Short journeys are harder on batteries, brakes and exhausts than motorway miles, so do not assume low miles means low wear. On a 2021 Volkswagen Up the average at test was 17,312 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.

2021 is the strongest year on record for this model at 95.6%, ahead of every other year we hold data for.

Nearby model years

All Volkswagen Up MOT data · Every model