MOT statistics · 2023 tests

Volkswagen up! MOT pass rate, common failures and mileage

In 2023, 86.3% of 120,333 MOT tests on the Volkswagen up! ended in a pass, 9.8 points above the 76.5% average for all cars. Comparing like for like at ages 3 to 10, it passed 87.4% against 82.0%, ranking 18th of 148 models.

Pass rate

86.3%

All cars 76.5%

Tests

120,333

Initial MOTs in 2023

Ages 3 to 10

87.4%

All cars 82.0% · rank 18 of 148

Mileage at 10

57k

Median; middle half 41k to 75k

Pass rate and mileage by age

Each row covers the Volkswagen up! MOT tests at that age. Mileage shows the median and the middle half of odometer readings, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

Age	Pass rate	Mileage
21,439 tests	96.7%	11,000 · 7k to 17k
36,364 tests	94.5%	17,000 · 11k to 25k
411,452 tests	91.7%	21,000 · 13k to 31k
512,381 tests	88.8%	27,000 · 17k to 39k
612,347 tests	86.6%	33,000 · 21k to 45k
713,904 tests	85.2%	37,000 · 25k to 53k
818,912 tests	85.5%	43,000 · 29k to 59k
920,211 tests	84.3%	51,000 · 35k to 67k
1017,935 tests	82.6%	57,000 · 41k to 75k
115,388 tests	81.3%	63,000 · 47k to 83k

up! pass rateAll cars at that ageMiddle half of mileages

Most common MOT failures and advisories

How often each item came up, per 100 MOT tests on the Volkswagen up!. Advisories are things the tester noted that did not fail the car, often wear that will need attention soon. Follow an item to see what it means and how serious it is.

Failures

Wiper blades

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

2.4in 100 tests

Tyre tread

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1.3in 100 tests

Side and tail lights

A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

1.2in 100 tests

Brake performance

Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake

1.2in 100 tests

Fuel cap/sealing device

Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap

1.1in 100 tests

Number plate lights

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

0.9in 100 tests

Tyres

A tyre seriously damaged

0.8in 100 tests

Brake pads

A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

0.8in 100 tests

Advisories and minor defects

Brake discs

Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured

5.3in 100 tests

Brake pads

A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

3.3in 100 tests

Suspension bushes

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

3.0in 100 tests

Brake discs

Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn

2.2in 100 tests

Tyre tread

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1.5in 100 tests

Number plates

Number plate inscription missing or illegible

1.4in 100 tests

Windscreen

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view (minor defect)

1.3in 100 tests

Wiper blades

Wiper blade defective (minor defect)

1.0in 100 tests

What to check on a used up!

The parts that come up most often in Volkswagen up! MOTs, and how to look at them on a viewing.

Brake discs and pads
Ask when the discs and pads were last replaced, and look through the wheel for a raised lip on the edge of the disc.
Suspension and steering joints
Listen for knocks over bumps and at full lock, and ask whether any suspension or steering joints have been replaced.
Wipers, washers and windscreen
Run the wipers and washers, and look for chips or cracks in the windscreen, above all in front of the driver.
Tyres
Check the tread across the full width of every tyre, including the inner edge, and look for cuts and bulges in the sidewalls.
Number plates
Check the plates are clean, legal and match the registration on the V5C logbook.

Check a specific up!

Fleet averages only go so far. Enter the registration to see that car's own MOT history, mileage record and current condition, free.

Questions

What is the MOT pass rate of the Volkswagen up!?

In 2023, 86.3% of 120,333 initial MOT tests on the Volkswagen up! ended in a pass, against 76.5% for all cars and light vans. At ages 3 to 10, with the same age mix as all cars, it was 87.4% against 82.0%.

What fails most often on a Volkswagen up! MOT?

The most common failures were wiper blades (2.4 in 100 tests), tyre tread (1.3 in 100 tests), side and tail lights (1.2 in 100 tests).

What is a normal mileage for a 10-year-old Volkswagen up!?

At 10 years old, the median Volkswagen up! at its MOT had covered 57,000 miles, and the middle half had between 41,000 and 75,000 miles.

What do MOT testers most often advise on a Volkswagen up!?

The most common advisories were brake discs (5.3 in 100 tests), brake pads (3.3 in 100 tests), suspension bushes (3.0 in 100 tests).

How these figures are made. We counted every initial MOT test (not retests) of cars and light vans in Great Britain in 2023 from the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 33,842,940 tests in all. Pass rate is the share of initial tests that ended in a pass, counting faults fixed during the test. Age is whole years from first registration to the test, so a car having its first MOT a few weeks early counts as 2.

Like-for-like pass rates average each model's pass rate at ages 3 to 10 with the same age mix for every model, so a model is not flattered by a young fleet or penalised by an old one. Models are grouped by the first word of the DVSA model name, and names that cover several models are left out.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. RegTail's analysis of the DVSA anonymised MOT dataset, 2023 tests.