2012 Volkswagen Golf — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 2012 perform at MOT as they age

14 years

Current Age

70.3%

Latest Pass Rate

505,089

Total Tests (All Years)

100,735 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 12

This car: 70.3%

Average: 54.3%

✅ 16.0% above average (13966 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 2012 Volkswagen Golf as it ages.

2 yrs83.5%

→ ↑0.4%

3 yrs83.9%

→ ↑1.8%

4 yrs85.7%

→ ↓1.9%

5 yrs83.8%

→ ↓4.1%

6 yrs79.7%

→ ↓1.2%

7 yrs78.5%

→ ↓2.3%

8 yrs76.2%

→ ↓2.2%

9 yrs74.0%

→ ↓2.1%

10 yrs71.9%

→ ↓1.7%

11 yrs70.2%

→ ↑0.1%

12 yrs70.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
2 yrs	83.5%	2,041
3 yrs	83.9%	54,140
4 yrs	85.7%	52,170
5 yrs	83.8%	57,502
6 yrs	79.7%	39,717
7 yrs	78.5%	42,176
8 yrs	76.2%	43,249
9 yrs	74.0%	53,822
10 yrs	71.9%	42,921
11 yrs	70.2%	53,165
12 yrs	70.3%	64,186

Pass Rate Trend

How the 2012 Volkswagen Golf pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2024 (12 yrs)	70.3%	64,186
2023 (11 yrs)	70.2%	53,165
2022 (10 yrs)	71.9%	42,921
2021 (9 yrs)	74%	53,822
2020 (8 yrs)	76.2%	43,249
2019 (7 yrs)	78.5%	42,176
2018 (6 yrs)	79.7%	39,717
2017 (5 yrs)	83.8%	57,502
2016 (4 yrs)	85.7%	52,170
2015 (3 yrs)	83.9%	54,140
2014 (2 yrs)	83.5%	2,041

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2014

83.5%

Age (yrs) 2Tests 2,041Avg Mileage 35,214Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 9.8%

2015

83.9%

Age (yrs) 3Tests 54,140Avg Mileage 34,921Top Failure Driver's View of the Road — 9.3%

2016

85.7%

Age (yrs) 4Tests 52,170Avg Mileage 44,154Top Failure Tyres — 10.4%

2017

83.8%

Age (yrs) 5Tests 57,502Avg Mileage 52,711Top Failure Tyres — 11.5%

2018

79.7%

Age (yrs) 6Tests 39,717Avg Mileage 61,138Top Failure Tyres — 16.6%

2019

78.5%

Age (yrs) 7Tests 42,176Avg Mileage 69,246Top Failure Tyres — 19.9%

2020

76.2%

Age (yrs) 8Tests 43,249Avg Mileage 76,615Top Failure Tyres — 22.8%

2021

74.0%

Age (yrs) 9Tests 53,822Avg Mileage 82,324Top Failure Suspension — 24.2%

2022

71.9%

Age (yrs) 10Tests 42,921Avg Mileage 88,408Top Failure Suspension — 30.0%

2023

70.2%

Age (yrs) 11Tests 53,165Avg Mileage 94,938Top Failure Suspension — 37.3%

2024

70.3%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 64,186Avg Mileage 100,735Top Failure Suspension — 35.0%

MOT results for 2012 Volkswagen Golf by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2014	2	83.5%	2,041	35,214	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 9.8%
2015	3	83.9%	54,140	34,921	Driver's View of the Road — 9.3%
2016	4	85.7%	52,170	44,154	Tyres — 10.4%
2017	5	83.8%	57,502	52,711	Tyres — 11.5%
2018	6	79.7%	39,717	61,138	Tyres — 16.6%
2019	7	78.5%	42,176	69,246	Tyres — 19.9%
2020	8	76.2%	43,249	76,615	Tyres — 22.8%
2021	9	74.0%	53,822	82,324	Suspension — 24.2%
2022	10	71.9%	42,921	88,408	Suspension — 30.0%
2023	11	70.2%	53,165	94,938	Suspension — 37.3%
2024	12	70.3%	64,186	100,735	Suspension — 35.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 2012 Volkswagen Golf, with age trends.

Tyres

18.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

16.3%

↑ Increases with age

Brakes

14.7%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment

9.9%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

7.4%

↓ Decreases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Suspension	1.8% (2 yrs)	35.0% (12 yrs)	+33.2%	🔴 ↑
Brakes	3.7% (2 yrs)	22.2% (12 yrs)	+18.5%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	8.8% (2 yrs)	22.3% (12 yrs)	+13.5%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Volkswagen Golf cars manufactured in 2012 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2014 to 2024, covering 505,089 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.