1971 Volkswagen 1200 — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years

Current Age

53.2%

Latest Pass Rate

430

Total Tests (All Years)

48,130 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1971 Volkswagen 1200 as it ages.

38 yrs50.0%

→ ↑4.9%

39 yrs54.9%

→ ↑7.8%

40 yrs62.7%

→ ↓14.4%

41 yrs48.3%

→ ↑3.5%

42 yrs51.8%

→ ↓3.8%

43 yrs48.0%

→ ↑3.0%

44 yrs51.0%

→ ↑2.2%

45 yrs53.2%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
38 yrs	50.0%	56
39 yrs	54.9%	51
40 yrs	62.7%	59
41 yrs	48.3%	60
42 yrs	51.8%	56
43 yrs	48.0%	50
44 yrs	51.0%	51
45 yrs	53.2%	47

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1971 Volkswagen 1200 pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (45 yrs)	53.2%	47
2015 (44 yrs)	51%	51
2014 (43 yrs)	48%	50
2013 (42 yrs)	51.8%	56
2012 (41 yrs)	48.3%	60
2011 (40 yrs)	62.7%	59
2010 (39 yrs)	54.9%	51
2009 (38 yrs)	50%	56

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

50.0%

Age (yrs) 38Tests 56Avg Mileage 55,771Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 39.3%

2010High Fail Rate

54.9%

Age (yrs) 39Tests 51Avg Mileage 52,984Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.5%

2011High Fail Rate

62.7%

Age (yrs) 40Tests 59Avg Mileage 46,905Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.8%

2012High Fail Rate

48.3%

Age (yrs) 41Tests 60Avg Mileage 47,712Top Failure Suspension — 31.7%

2013High Fail Rate

51.8%

Age (yrs) 42Tests 56Avg Mileage 48,720Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 83.9%

2014High Fail Rate

48.0%

Age (yrs) 43Tests 50Avg Mileage 52,344Top Failure Suspension — 106.0%

2015High Fail Rate

51.0%

Age (yrs) 44Tests 51Avg Mileage 50,024Top Failure Brakes — 70.6%

2016High Fail Rate

53.2%

Age (yrs) 45Tests 47Avg Mileage 48,130Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 112.8%

MOT results for 1971 Volkswagen 1200 by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	38	50.0%	56	55,771	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 39.3%
2010	39	54.9%	51	52,984	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.5%
2011	40	62.7%	59	46,905	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 28.8%
2012	41	48.3%	60	47,712	Suspension — 31.7%
2013	42	51.8%	56	48,720	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 83.9%
2014	43	48.0%	50	52,344	Suspension — 106.0%
2015	44	51.0%	51	50,024	Brakes — 70.6%
2016	45	53.2%	47	48,130	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 112.8%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1971 Volkswagen 1200, with age trends.

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

58.7%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

52.2%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

38.8%

↑ Increases with age

Steering

19.6%

↑ Increases with age

Body, Structure and General Items

19.3%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment	39.3% (38 yrs)	112.8% (45 yrs)	+73.5%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	30.4% (38 yrs)	76.6% (45 yrs)	+46.2%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	23.2% (38 yrs)	40.4% (45 yrs)	+17.2%	🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road	10.7% (38 yrs)	21.3% (45 yrs)	+10.6%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1965 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971

← Back to Volkswagen 1200 overview

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the Volkswagen 1200 page →

About This Data

This page shows how Volkswagen 1200 cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 430 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.