Volkswagen Golf Plus MOT Pass Rate
Overall pass rate across all manufacture years, based on 251,360 real MOT test results. Failure rate: 23.2%.
Data from official DVSA MOT testing records
Volkswagen Golf Plus MOT Reliability Overview
The Volkswagen Golf Plus is a very popular vehicle in the UK, with 251,360 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 12 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 76.8% and a failure rate of 23.2%, which is well above the UK average of approximately 37%.
Based on this data, the Volkswagen Golf Plus earns a "Excellent" reliability rating. The average Volkswagen Golf Plus presents for MOT with approximately 59,539 miles on the clock. Manufacture year matters: 2013 models achieve the highest pass rate at 91.0%, while 2004 models have the lowest at 58.3%. This 32.7 percentage point difference suggests notable variation in build quality or component durability across production years.
The most common MOT failure for the Volkswagen Golf Plus is Tyres, affecting 14.4% of all tests. Tyre failures include tread depth below the legal minimum of 1.6mm, cuts, bulges, exposed cords, and incorrect tyre pressure. Tyres are one of the most common and easiest-to-prevent MOT failures. The second most common issue is Suspension at 12.9%. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment rounds out the top three at 12.3%. Together, these top 3 failure categories account for a significant portion of all MOT failures for this model.
Top failures across all manufacture years combined. Individual year pages may show different top failures.
What Fails Most
Best Year to Buy
All manufacture years perform similarly at ~72.3%.
Based on 2019 MOT test results only — the most recent data available. "Built" = year of manufacture. Cars need their first MOT at 3 years old, so the newest cars shown are from ~3 years ago.
Bar chart showing pass rate by manufacture year from 2005 to 2011
📈 How Each Vintage Ages
Tracking how each manufacture year's MOT pass rate changes as the car ages. Showing 9 vintages — click year chips to highlight.
Multi-line chart showing how different Volkswagen Golf Plus vintages degrade over time, from age 2 to 20 years.
Only vintages with 100+ tests in at least 3 different test years are shown. Fleet average is the UK-wide pass rate for all cars at each age.
📉 How Age Affects Reliability
MOT failure rate by vehicle age for the Volkswagen Golf Plus. The dashed red line marks when the manufacturer warranty typically expires (3 years).
Line chart showing MOT failure rate by vehicle age from 3 to 14 years, with warranty expiry marked at 3 years.
💡 What does the warranty cliff mean?
The Volkswagen Golf Plus shows a moderate increase in MOT failures after warranty. The 33% increase is typical — plan for gradual maintenance cost increases. Peak failure occurs at age 14 (47.0% fail rate).
Note: pass rates may improve for very old vehicles due to survivorship bias — only well-maintained cars remain on the road.
* High Fail Rate badge indicates an MOT pass rate below 65% (failure rate above 35%).
What Fails on This Car?
Click a category to see specific failure items.
View as table
| Rank | Failure Category | Rate (%) | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyres | 16.4% | 41,191 |
| 2 | Lamps, Reflectors And Electrical Equipment | 14.5% | 36,459 |
| 3 | Suspension | 13.4% | 33,796 |
| 4 | Brakes | 13.0% | 32,638 |
| 5 | Driver's View Of The Road | 4.4% | 11,168 |
| 6 | Exhaust, Fuel And Emissions | 1.4% | 3,447 |
| 7 | Seat Belts And Supplementary Restraint Systems | 1.2% | 3,133 |
| 8 | Registration Plates And Vin | 1.0% | 2,633 |
| 9 | Non-component Advisories | 0.6% | 1,450 |
| 10 | Body, Chassis, Structure | 0.5% | 1,268 |
| 11 | Body, Structure And General Items | 0.5% | 1,159 |
| 12 | Noise, Emissions And Leaks | 0.4% | 956 |
| 13 | Road Wheels | 0.4% | 941 |
| 14 | Visibility | 0.3% | 790 |
Failures per 10,000 Miles
avg. 59,539 miFor every 10,000 miles driven, this shows what percentage of MOT tests fail for each category. This accounts for how far cars are actually driven, not just raw pass/fail counts.
View as table
| Category | Rate / 10K mi | Raw % | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 2.75 | 16.4% | 41,191 |
| Lamps & Electrical | 2.44 | 14.5% | 36,459 |
| Suspension | 2.26 | 13.4% | 33,796 |
| Brakes | 2.18 | 13.0% | 32,638 |
| Visibility | 0.80 | 4.7% | 11,958 |
| Emissions & Exhaust | 0.23 | 1.4% | 3,447 |
| Seat Belts | 0.21 | 1.2% | 3,133 |
| Registration Plates and VIN | 0.18 | 1.0% | 2,633 |
| Body & Structure | 0.16 | 1.0% | 2,427 |
| Non-component advisories | 0.10 | 0.6% | 1,450 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.06 | 0.4% | 956 |
| Wheels | 0.06 | 0.4% | 941 |
🚗 Similar Cars to Consider
Mileage at MOT
The average Volkswagen Golf Plus has 59,539 miles when tested for MOT.
📊 Mileage-Adjusted Failure Rate
How often this car fails MOT relative to how much it's driven — a fairer comparison than raw pass rate.
The Volkswagen Golf Plus has a mileage-adjusted failure rate of 3.90% per 10,000 miles driven. The average across all makes is 5.38%, so this model is better than average.
About Volkswagen Golf Plus MOT Data
The Volkswagen Golf Plus is a very popular vehicle in the UK, with 251,360 MOT test results recorded in our database spanning 12 manufacture years. It has an overall MOT pass rate of 76.8% and a failure rate of 23.2%, which is well above the UK average of approximately 37%.
For Volkswagen Golf Plus owners, these results suggest a reliable vehicle that generally passes its MOT without major issues. Focus your pre-MOT checks on tyres and suspension for the best chance of a first-time pass. Use our detailed year-by-year breakdown and failure analysis below to understand how your specific Golf Plus is likely to perform.
Tyres — 14.4% of failures
Tyres issues account for 14.4% of MOT failures on the Volkswagen Golf Plus. Tyre failures include tread depth below the legal minimum of 1.6mm, cuts, bulges, exposed cords, and incorrect tyre pressure. Tyres are one of the most common and easiest-to-prevent MOT failures. Typical repair costs: £50–200 per tyre. Pre-MOT check: Check tread depth with a 20p coin — if the outer band is visible, the tyre is too worn. Look for bulges, cuts, or embedded objects. Ensure all tyres match the recommended size and load rating.
Suspension — 12.9% of failures
Suspension issues account for 12.9% of MOT failures on the Volkswagen Golf Plus. Suspension failures typically involve worn bushes, leaking shock absorbers, broken coil springs, and damaged suspension arms. These affect ride quality, tyre wear, and road holding. Typical repair costs: £200–500. Pre-MOT check: Look for uneven tyre wear, listen for clunking over bumps, and check if the car pulls to one side. A bouncy ride suggests worn shock absorbers. Visually inspect coil springs for cracks.
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 12.3% of failures
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment issues account for 12.3% of MOT failures on the Volkswagen Golf Plus. Lighting failures cover all external lights: headlights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights, and reflectors. A single blown bulb will cause an MOT fail. This is one of the most preventable failure categories. Typical repair costs: £5–50. Pre-MOT check: Walk around the car and check every light — headlights (dipped and main beam), side lights, tail lights, brake lights, indicators, hazard lights, reverse light, rear fog light, and number plate lights. Replace any blown bulbs before the test.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Volkswagen Golf Plus?
Based on 251,360 MOT tests in our database, the Volkswagen Golf Plus has an overall pass rate of 76.8% (23.2% fail rate).
What are the most common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Golf Plus?
The top 3 reasons a Volkswagen Golf Plus fails its MOT are: 1. Tyres (14.4%), 2. Suspension (12.9%), 3. Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (12.3%). Check these areas before booking your MOT.
Is the Volkswagen Golf Plus reliable?
With a 23.2% MOT failure rate, the Golf Plus is more reliable than average compared to the UK average of ~40%.
What should I check before an MOT on my Volkswagen Golf Plus?
Based on failure data, focus on: Tyres (14.4%); Suspension (12.9%); Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment (12.3%). These are the areas most likely to cause a fail. Also check all lights, tyres (minimum 1.6mm tread), and windscreen condition — these are quick wins that apply to all cars.
Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.