VolkswagenGolf MOT results

In 2025, 74.9% of Volkswagen Golf MOT tests were passed first time, better than the 70.0% for cars of the same age. 7.1% had at least one dangerous defect (7.8% for cars the same age). The typical Volkswagen Golf tested was 11 years old with 83,000 miles. Based on 867,515 initial MOT tests in Great Britain.

RegisterHow many Volkswagen Golf cars are on the road

First-time pass: 74.9%no defects to fix
Cars the same age: 70.0%first-time pass
Fixed at the test: 4.3%passed after repair
Failed: 20.8%needed a retest
Dangerous defect: 7.1%same age 7.8%
Typical mileage: 83,000at the test

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

First-time pass rate by year first registered

Volkswagen GolfAll cars first registered that year

Year first registered	Tests	First-time pass	All cars
2024	47	93.6%	94.0%
2023	816	94.6%	91.7%
2022	24,309	91.9%	88.5%
2021	27,371	90.8%	87.2%
2020	40,370	90.0%	85.9%
2019	54,555	86.8%	83.5%
2018	60,030	86.0%	80.8%
2017	68,086	84.8%	78.1%
2016	63,539	84.0%	74.8%
2015	66,045	81.7%	71.8%
2014	63,032	79.0%	68.5%
2013	53,685	75.3%	65.6%
2012	50,335	66.9%	63.2%
2011	47,915	63.8%	61.0%
2010	41,644	62.4%	59.1%
2009	40,103	61.9%	58.1%
2008	34,934	58.9%	57.0%
2007	33,882	57.8%	57.2%
2006	23,938	56.2%	56.8%
2005	15,408	55.7%	57.5%
2004	9,532	51.8%	57.5%
2003	13,646	57.0%	58.5%
2002	11,631	58.5%	59.4%
2001	6,421	58.8%	60.9%
2000	3,560	57.9%	62.2%
1999	2,151	57.4%	64.2%
1998	1,013	58.7%	65.1%
1997	846	67.0%	66.4%
1996	816	65.1%	66.9%
1995	408	68.4%	67.6%
1994	230	65.2%	68.6%
1993	256	71.5%	68.6%
1992	549	68.9%	68.9%
1991	1,580	73.9%	71.7%
1990	1,509	72.7%	72.7%
1989	1,159	68.8%	73.4%
1988	669	69.1%	73.5%
1987	441	73.0%	74.3%
1986	312	73.4%	73.6%
1985	208	74.0%	76.1%
1984	91	73.6%	75.7%
1983	284	81.3%	78.4%
1982	75	81.3%	78.6%

Years with fewer than 30 tests are left out.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

By age at the test

Volkswagen GolfAll cars that age

Age	Tests	First-time pass	All cars	Typical miles
3-4 years	60,950	90.9%	87.4%	32,900
5-9 years	297,345	85.4%	79.1%	59,100
10-14 years	271,565	72.6%	65.7%	97,600
15-19 years	163,714	59.4%	57.6%	122,300
20-29 years	57,627	56.9%	59.6%	128,800
30-39 years	6,994	71.2%	71.3%	123,800
40+ years	613	78.5%	82.0%	113,200

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they’re tested

Colour shows how common the Volkswagen Golf is among cars tested in each area, against its share across Great Britain: 2× means twice as common as usual.

under 0.5×
0.5×–0.8×
0.8×–1.25×
1.25×–2×
2× or more
Fewer than 5 tests
None tested

Postcode area of the garage that did the test, not where the owner lives. Hover over or tap an area for its figures.

Postcode area	Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
B Birmingham	West Midlands	27,546	3.2%	1.0×	79.1%
S Sheffield	Yorkshire and the Humber	18,018	2.1%	0.9×	79.6%
LE Leicester	East Midlands	17,493	2.0%	1.1×	76.3%
PE Peterborough	East of England	15,703	1.8%	1.0×	75.0%
GU Guildford	South East	15,489	1.8%	1.3×	73.4%
RG Reading	South East	15,177	1.7%	1.2×	75.9%
BS Bristol	South West	14,934	1.7%	1.0×	67.6%
BD Bradford	Yorkshire and the Humber	14,228	1.6%	1.8×	77.2%
NE Newcastle upon Tyne	North East	14,121	1.6%	1.0×	78.4%
NG Nottingham	East Midlands	13,999	1.6%	0.9×	74.8%
OX Oxford	South East	13,748	1.6%	1.4×	74.4%
M Manchester	North West	13,417	1.5%	1.0×	75.6%
GL Gloucester	South West	12,992	1.5%	1.2×	70.7%
CV Coventry	West Midlands	12,814	1.5%	1.0×	78.0%
G Glasgow	Scotland	12,731	1.5%	0.9×	76.3%
NR Norwich	East of England	12,659	1.5%	1.1×	73.0%
CF Cardiff	Wales	12,517	1.4%	0.9×	71.7%
TN Tonbridge	South East	12,386	1.4%	1.1×	74.3%
NN Northampton	East Midlands	12,170	1.4%	1.0×	73.5%
PO Portsmouth	South East	11,894	1.4%	1.0×	68.5%
DE Derby	East Midlands	11,871	1.4%	1.0×	78.0%
IP Ipswich	East of England	11,282	1.3%	1.1×	72.7%
SO Southampton	South East	11,265	1.3%	1.1×	73.3%
EH Edinburgh	Scotland	11,097	1.3%	1.0×	75.2%
LS Leeds	Yorkshire and the Humber	11,003	1.3%	1.1×	74.5%
EX Exeter	South West	10,683	1.2%	1.1×	65.6%
BN Brighton	South East	10,470	1.2%	1.0×	68.6%
HP Hemel Hempstead	South East	10,330	1.2%	1.2×	76.5%
RH Redhill	South East	10,208	1.2%	1.1×	75.4%
SA Swansea	Wales	9,510	1.1%	0.9×	72.5%
LL Llandudno	Wales	9,363	1.1%	1.1×	74.5%
BB Blackburn	North West	9,279	1.1%	1.2×	78.6%
DN Doncaster	Yorkshire and the Humber	9,122	1.1%	0.8×	75.5%
PL Plymouth	South West	9,093	1.0%	1.0×	67.7%
BA Bath	South West	8,882	1.0%	1.2×	68.6%
MK Milton Keynes	South East	8,792	1.0%	1.0×	75.4%
CM Chelmsford	East of England	8,667	1.0%	0.8×	77.4%
BH Bournemouth	South West	8,452	1.0%	0.9×	69.3%
SK Stockport	North West	8,255	1.0%	1.0×	76.6%
KT Kingston upon Thames	London	8,228	0.9%	1.2×	78.8%
SN Swindon	South West	8,179	0.9%	1.1×	71.7%
SL Slough	South East	7,853	0.9%	1.3×	79.3%
ST Stoke-on-Trent	West Midlands	7,761	0.9%	0.8×	74.4%
WF Wakefield	Yorkshire and the Humber	7,758	0.9%	1.0×	76.0%
ME Rochester	South East	7,705	0.9%	0.8×	76.7%
CH Chester	North West	7,643	0.9%	0.8×	75.4%
AB Aberdeen	Scotland	7,561	0.9%	1.1×	74.7%
N London N	London	7,521	0.9%	1.3×	76.2%
CB Cambridge	East of England	7,400	0.9%	1.2×	73.1%
YO York	Yorkshire and the Humber	7,378	0.9%	0.9×	73.5%
E London E	London	7,284	0.8%	1.0×	75.9%
TW Twickenham	London	7,187	0.8%	1.1×	79.5%
NP Newport	Wales	7,147	0.8%	0.9×	71.0%
WA Warrington	North West	6,940	0.8%	0.8×	78.1%
PR Preston	North West	6,763	0.8%	0.9×	75.7%
TS Teesside	North East	6,743	0.8%	0.8×	76.1%
SE London SE	London	6,568	0.8%	1.0×	75.8%
SG Stevenage	East of England	6,469	0.7%	1.0×	76.6%
SW London SW	London	6,353	0.7%	1.7×	79.2%
CT Canterbury	South East	6,337	0.7%	1.0×	72.4%
LU Luton	East of England	6,276	0.7%	1.1×	76.9%
NW London NW	London	6,266	0.7%	1.1×	77.9%
L Liverpool	North West	6,209	0.7%	0.7×	77.0%
OL Oldham	North West	6,189	0.7%	1.0×	76.8%
SY Shrewsbury	West Midlands	6,129	0.7%	1.0×	73.9%
TR Truro	South West	6,118	0.7%	1.2×	66.2%
TA Taunton	South West	6,109	0.7%	1.1×	69.4%
BL Bolton	North West	6,093	0.7%	0.9×	78.4%
CO Colchester	East of England	6,088	0.7%	0.9×	73.1%
WR Worcester	West Midlands	5,905	0.7%	1.2×	75.0%
SP Salisbury	South West	5,864	0.7%	1.4×	69.4%
HA Harrow	London	5,512	0.6%	1.1×	79.3%
UB Southall	London	5,407	0.6%	1.0×	78.8%
CR Croydon	London	5,365	0.6%	0.9×	78.5%
DL Darlington	North East	5,311	0.6%	1.1×	77.0%
CA Carlisle	North West	4,982	0.6%	1.0×	76.4%
LA Lancaster	North West	4,975	0.6%	1.1×	74.6%
WV Wolverhampton	West Midlands	4,890	0.6%	0.8×	75.4%
WS Walsall	West Midlands	4,849	0.6%	0.8×	75.5%
KY Kirkcaldy	Scotland	4,756	0.5%	1.0×	71.0%
TQ Torquay	South West	4,683	0.5%	1.1×	67.6%
DY Dudley	West Midlands	4,659	0.5%	0.8×	76.7%
CW Crewe	North West	4,651	0.5%	0.9×	75.7%
RM Romford	London	4,624	0.5%	0.7×	80.3%
EN Enfield	London	4,524	0.5%	0.9×	78.1%
DA Dartford	South East	4,451	0.5%	0.7×	79.6%
AL St Albans	East of England	4,385	0.5%	1.2×	78.7%
DH Durham	North East	4,325	0.5%	1.0×	79.2%
DT Dorchester	South West	4,263	0.5%	1.3×	68.5%
IV Inverness	Scotland	4,124	0.5%	1.1×	77.3%
SS Southend-on-Sea	East of England	4,055	0.5%	0.5×	77.7%
HR Hereford	West Midlands	4,026	0.5%	1.2×	75.9%
HU Hull	Yorkshire and the Humber	3,968	0.5%	0.7×	73.8%
LN Lincoln	East Midlands	3,921	0.5%	0.8×	73.2%
HD Huddersfield	Yorkshire and the Humber	3,832	0.4%	1.1×	73.0%
IG Ilford	London	3,696	0.4%	1.0×	80.2%
KA Kilmarnock	Scotland	3,497	0.4%	0.8×	73.9%
PA Paisley	Scotland	3,400	0.4%	0.9×	73.1%
DD Dundee	Scotland	3,325	0.4%	0.9×	71.4%
WD Watford	East of England	3,306	0.4%	1.0×	75.9%
ML Motherwell	Scotland	3,233	0.4%	0.8×	75.2%
TF Telford	West Midlands	3,043	0.4%	0.9×	76.1%
FK Falkirk	Scotland	2,961	0.3%	0.8×	75.0%
W London W	London	2,958	0.3%	1.3×	73.5%
BR Bromley	London	2,942	0.3%	1.0×	81.8%
WN Wigan	North West	2,909	0.3%	0.7×	76.8%
HG Harrogate	Yorkshire and the Humber	2,764	0.3%	1.1×	76.1%
SR Sunderland	North East	2,483	0.3%	0.9×	75.0%
HX Halifax	Yorkshire and the Humber	2,416	0.3%	1.1×	78.0%
PH Perth	Scotland	2,392	0.3%	0.9×	75.4%
FY Blackpool	North West	2,317	0.3%	0.6×	72.5%
DG Dumfries	Scotland	1,876	0.2%	0.9×	77.0%
SM Sutton	London	1,779	0.2%	0.9×	82.1%
TD Galashiels	Scotland	1,773	0.2%	1.1×	76.1%
LD Llandrindod Wells	Wales	744	<0.1%	1.0×	69.2%
KW Kirkwall	Scotland	700	<0.1%	1.0×	75.0%
ZE Shetland	Scotland	356	<0.1%	1.1×	74.4%
HS Outer Hebrides	Scotland	312	<0.1%	0.8×	71.8%

Region	Tests	Share	vs all cars	First-time pass
Scotland	64,094	7.4%	0.9×	74.8%
North East	32,983	3.8%	0.9×	77.5%
North West	90,622	10.4%	0.9×	76.5%
Yorkshire and the Humber	80,487	9.3%	1.0×	76.4%
Wales	39,281	4.5%	0.9×	72.4%
West Midlands	81,622	9.4%	1.0×	77.0%
East Midlands	59,454	6.9%	1.0×	75.5%
East of England	86,290	9.9%	1.0×	75.0%
London	86,214	9.9%	1.1×	78.2%
South East	146,105	16.8%	1.1×	74.2%
South West	100,252	11.6%	1.1×	68.5%

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Where they fail

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against cars of the same age.

Volkswagen GolfCars the same age

Suspension9.5%10.2%
Lights and electrics8.0%11.9%
Tyres6.3%6.4%
Brakes5.7%6.9%
Body and structure3.4%3.9%
Emissions and leaks3.2%3.5%
Visibility (wipers, glass, mirrors)3.0%4.6%
Seat belts and airbags1.2%1.1%
Steering0.9%2.2%

A test can fail in more than one area. Failures fixed during the test are included.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common failures

The 10 defects that failed Volkswagen Golf tests most often, as a share of all tests.

Failure	Tests	Cars the same age	vs same age	Marked dangerous
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension	2.9%	2.6%	1.1×	0.0%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres Dangerous	2.2%	2.3%	1.0×	100.0%
Shock absorbers: has a serious fluid leak Suspension	2.0%	1.0%	2.0×	0.0%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body and structure	1.8%	1.6%	1.1×	0.0%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Emissions and leaks	1.7%	1.6%	1.1×	0.0%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes Dangerous	1.7%	1.8%	0.9×	100.0%
Condition: has ply or cords exposed Tyres Dangerous	1.6%	1.4%	1.1×	100.0%
Linkage ball joint dust cover: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension	1.5%	0.9%	1.7×	0.0%
Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres	1.4%	1.3%	1.1×	0.0%
Position lamp: not working Lights and electrics	1.2%	2.8%	0.4×	0.0%

“vs same age” compares this model with cars of the same age: 2.0× means twice as often. “Marked dangerous” is how often the tester recorded that failure as dangerous.

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

Most common advisories

Things the tester noted to watch, which don’t fail the test.

Advisory	Tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	18.8%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil	12.4%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	9.5%
Condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing	9.4%
Brake pads: wearing thin	7.8%
Pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	7.5%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	5.0%
Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened	4.5%
Coil spring: corroded	3.9%
Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened	3.6%

Great Britain · DVSA MOT tests · 2025

By fuel

Fuel	Tests	First-time pass
Petrol	437,749	77.9%
Diesel	396,531	70.5%
Hybrid	26,146	88.8%
Electric	7,077	85.7%

Fuels with fewer than 30 tests are left out. Different fuels often mean different ages, so compare with care.

MOT results for every model