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1989 Volkswagen Beetle — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age

37 years
Current Age
66.7%
Latest Pass Rate
68
Total Tests (All Years)
51,875 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 1989 Volkswagen Beetle as it ages.

At 32 years: 65.7% pass rate · At 35 years: 66.7% pass rate

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 32 to 35 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
32 yrs65.7%35
35 yrs66.7%33

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1989 Volkswagen Beetle pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows stable over 2 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2024 (35 yrs)66.7%33
2021 (32 yrs)65.7%35

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2021
65.7%
Age (yrs) 32Tests 35Avg Mileage 54,652Top Failure Suspension — 54.3%
2024
66.7%
Age (yrs) 35Tests 33Avg Mileage 51,875Top Failure Body, chassis, structure — 18.2%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1989 Volkswagen Beetle, with age trends.

Suspension
54.3%
— Consistent
Brakes
42.9%
— Consistent
Visibility
31.4%
— Consistent
Body, chassis, structure
26.3%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
24.6%
↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment40.0% (32 yrs)9.1% (35 yrs)
-30.9%
🟢 ↓
Body, chassis, structure34.3% (32 yrs)18.2% (35 yrs)
-16.1%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Volkswagen Beetle cars manufactured in 1989 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2021 to 2024, covering 68 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.

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