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Volkswagen Bora 1999: MOT failure rate for its age

47.7% of 1,506 MOT tests of the Volkswagen Bora first registered in 1999 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 108.1 (95% CI 100.2–116.0; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 1999 Volkswagen Bora fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age. This is a rough estimate from a smaller sample.

Volkswagen Bora built in 1999 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time47.7%all ages tested2019–20241506
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 100.2–116.0)108.1index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–20241506
Rank among this model's 8 build years8of 81 = fails least for its age2019–20241506
Tested in 202447testsmedian 122,858 miles202447
line · Volkswagen Bora built 1999 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 1999 48% vs model normal 47.9% at age 20 · 2019–2024
Built 1999 against Volkswagen Bora normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 20: 48% vs 47.9%; age 21: 48.9% vs 42.4%; age 22: 45.6% vs 39.4%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · full dataset (v5).

How does the 1999 Volkswagen Bora fail at each age?

Cars built in 1999 were tested at ages 20 to 22 between 2019 and 2024. Each row compares their first-time failure share with what this model normally shows at that age, after allowing for the overall failure level of each test year.

Volkswagen Bora built 1999: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
206674844.2–51.847.9100.2
21479 (rough estimate)48.944.4–53.342.4115.1
22360 (rough estimate)45.640.5–50.739.4115.6

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,506 (initial tests) · Method: normal rate = this model's first-time failure share at that age across its build years (cells of 400+ tests), adjusted for each test year's overall level; cells of 30+ tests, under 500 marked rough · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

What fails most on the 1999 Volkswagen Bora?

The most common failure group on cars built in 1999 is lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: 45.2 items per 100 first tests, against 46.4 across all build years of the Volkswagen Bora. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 1999 were tested at ages 20 to 22.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Volkswagen Bora built 1999 against the Volkswagen Bora in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 1999, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment45.246.4928
Brakes34.427.9705
Suspension28.825590
Visibility16.912.3346
Noise, emissions and leaks15.49.4316

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 2,051 (initial tests of this build year) · Method: failure items grouped by DVSA's top-level defect groups, per 100 initial tests; groups with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How does 1999 compare with the years around it?

Among the 8 published build years of the Volkswagen Bora, 1999 ranks 8 (1 = fails least for its age). 2000: index 103.6.

Volkswagen Bora build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
1999108.1100.2–116.0worse (rough estimate)1,506
2000103.698.6–108.5no different (rough estimate)3,724
200198.694.5–102.6no different5,224
200299.096.0–102.0no different9,487
200397.794.9–100.5no different10,677
200497.694.9–100.3no different11,091
200596.794.1–99.2better12,647
200698.390.3–106.3no different (rough estimate)1,320

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 55,676 (initial tests) · Method: observed failures against those expected for the same model at the same ages, test-year level adjusted; verdict follows the printed one-decimal bound · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV

How to cite this page

MOT Risk Index (2026). Volkswagen Bora 1999 MOT statistics (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 30 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/volkswagen-bora/1999/

How every figure is calculated: methodology. Age, test year and build year are tied together (age = test year − build year), so the test-year level is taken as observed, not estimated.

Other pages for this model

Volkswagen Bora 2000 · Volkswagen Bora 2001 · Volkswagen Bora 2002 · Volkswagen Bora 2003 · Volkswagen Bora 2004 · Volkswagen Bora 2005 · Volkswagen Bora 2006 · Volkswagen Bora in Finland · Volkswagen Bora in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Bora by postcode area · Volkswagen Bora body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Bora brakes failures · Volkswagen Bora vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Bora lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Bora noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Bora road wheels failures · Volkswagen Bora seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Bora steering failures · Volkswagen Bora suspension failures · Volkswagen Bora tyres failures · Volkswagen Bora visibility failures