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1988 Volkswagen Passat — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age

38 years
Current Age
40.6%
Latest Pass Rate
239
Total Tests (All Years)
133,614 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 1988 Volkswagen Passat as it ages.

21 yrs35.4%
22 yrs43.8%
23 yrs45.5%
24 yrs40.6%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 21 to 24 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
21 yrs35.4%99
22 yrs43.8%64
23 yrs45.5%44
24 yrs40.6%32

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1988 Volkswagen Passat pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows declining over 4 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2012 (24 yrs)40.6%32
2011 (23 yrs)45.5%44
2010 (22 yrs)43.8%64
2009 (21 yrs)35.4%99

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
35.4%
Age (yrs) 21Tests 99Avg Mileage 140,209Top Failure Suspension — 40.4%
2010High Fail Rate
43.8%
Age (yrs) 22Tests 64Avg Mileage 139,912Top Failure Suspension — 35.9%
2011High Fail Rate
45.5%
Age (yrs) 23Tests 44Avg Mileage 139,463Top Failure Suspension — 36.4%
2012High Fail Rate
40.6%
Age (yrs) 24Tests 32Avg Mileage 133,614Top Failure Suspension — 50.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1988 Volkswagen Passat, with age trends.

Suspension
40.7%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
32.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
27.2%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
25.9%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
19.0%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Suspension40.4% (21 yrs)50.0% (24 yrs)
+9.6%
🔴 ↑
Brakes34.3% (21 yrs)28.1% (24 yrs)
-6.2%
🟢 ↓
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions30.3% (21 yrs)25.0% (24 yrs)
-5.3%
🟢 ↓
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment27.3% (21 yrs)31.3% (24 yrs)
+4.0%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Volkswagen Passat cars manufactured in 1988 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2012, covering 239 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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