Petrol Volkswagen Up: MOT pass rate

84.6% of petrol Volkswagen Ups pass the MOT first time, measured across 120,962 DVSA tests on that fuel type alone. Average mileage at test was 49,267.

Petrol against the other Volkswagen Up versions

Why the fuel type changes the number

Petrol cars avoid the DPF and emissions failures that catch diesels, and usually fail on the same consumables as any other car.

On the Volkswagen Up specifically, electric is the strongest at 90.5%, and this petrol version sits 0.1 points below the 84.7% model average.

What it means if you are buying one

There is little to choose between fuel types on this model, so decide on running costs and mileage rather than MOT record. Buying a damaged one? run it through the analyzer, check the exact car, decode the VIN and check the mileage before you bid.

Mileage is part of the answer

The average petrol Volkswagen Up had covered 49,267 miles at test, against 35,746 for the electric. That is below average for a car this age, worth a mileage-consistency check since an unusually low reading is sometimes clocking rather than luck.

Fuel type and mileage are tangled together: diesels are usually bought by higher-mileage drivers, so some of any gap between fuels is the miles rather than the engine. The per-year figures on the Volkswagen Up page separate age from fuel if you want to isolate one.

Most common MOT failures on a petrol Volkswagen Up

1. Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap, 0.9% of tests (7.5x the national rate for this defect)
2. Emissions levels exceed default limits, 1.3% of tests (3.54x the national rate for this defect)
3. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 2.5% of tests (2.45x the national rate for this defect)
4. Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer, 0.9% of tests (1.85x the national rate for this defect)
5. 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., 0.9% of tests (1.67x the national rate for this defect)
6. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.4% of tests
7. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.9% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.9% of tests
9. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.7% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.9% of tests

From 121,239 DVSA-tracked petrol Volkswagen Up tests, 2024, split out from the Volkswagen Up's other fuel types. DVSA testers marked 4.62% of these flagged defects as "dangerous", against 5.11% nationally. See which fuel type fails on the most dangerous defects nationally for how that compares across the whole fleet.

Most common MOT advisories on a petrol Volkswagen Up

Flagged but doesn't fail the car, a different list from the failures above.

1. Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake, 4.1% of tests (2.03x the national rate for this defect), also fails
2. A tyre seriously damaged, 25.6% of tests (1.66x the national rate for this defect), also fails
3. Excessive fluctuation in brake effort through each wheel revolution., 1% of tests (1.19x the national rate for this defect)
4. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 19% of tests, also fails
5. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 7.8% of tests, also fails
6. Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured, 7.8% of tests
7. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 3.9% of tests
8. Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn, 3.1% of tests
9. Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded, 1.9% of tests
10. Number plate inscription missing or illegible, 1.7% of tests

From 121,239 DVSA-tracked petrol Volkswagen Up tests, 2024.

Other Volkswagen Up fuel types

• Electric Volkswagen Up - 90.5%

All Volkswagen Up MOT data · Every model