Does the Volkswagen Beetle fail the MOT on seat belts and airbags more than it should?
The Volkswagen Beetle records 3.43 seat belts and airbags failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.05 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.38, 95% interval +1.32 to +1.44). It ranks 86 of 627 models on seat belts and airbags (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on seat belts and airbags · check a Volkswagen Beetle by registration
What exactly fails on seat belts and airbags?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Beetle is “An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction”, recorded 6,148 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction | 6,148 | 1.89 |
| The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired | 3,990 | 1.23 |
| Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 252 | 0.08 |
| An airbag obviously inoperative | 196 | 0.06 |
| Seat belt not functioning as intended or of an incorrect type | 187 | 0.06 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 325,356 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a Volkswagen Beetle gets a seat belts and airbags advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.5% of Volkswagen Beetle MOTs with a seat belts and airbags advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 3,847 miles later (2,115 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,115 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
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