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1971 Volkswagen Polo — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age

55 years
Current Age
42.1%
Latest Pass Rate
158
Total Tests (All Years)
94,624 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 Polo as it ages.

38 yrs48.5%
39 yrs40.4%
40 yrs42.1%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 38 to 40 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
38 yrs48.5%68
39 yrs40.4%52
40 yrs42.1%38

Pass Rate Trend

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

Trend shows declining over 3 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2011 (40 yrs)42.1%38
2010 (39 yrs)40.4%52
2009 (38 yrs)48.5%68

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
48.5%
Age (yrs) 38Tests 68Avg Mileage 88,496Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 32.4%
2010High Fail Rate
40.4%
Age (yrs) 39Tests 52Avg Mileage 95,158Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 40.4%
2011High Fail Rate
42.1%
Age (yrs) 40Tests 38Avg Mileage 94,624Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 47.4%

Common MOT Failures

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

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
40.1%
↑ Increases with age
Brakes
22.6%
— Consistent
Suspension
22.2%
↓ Decreases with age
Tyres
19.8%
— Consistent
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
18.4%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment32.4% (38 yrs)47.4% (40 yrs)
+15.0%
🔴 ↑
Suspension25.0% (38 yrs)18.4% (40 yrs)
-6.6%
🟢 ↓
Brakes23.5% (38 yrs)21.1% (40 yrs)
-2.4%
🟢 ↓
Tyres19.1% (38 yrs)21.1% (40 yrs)
+2.0%
🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

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

About This Data

This page shows how Volkswagen Polo cars manufactured in 1971 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2011, covering 158 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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