Does the Volkswagen Bora fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Volkswagen Bora records 27.94 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 24.63 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+3.31, 95% interval +2.88 to +3.74). It ranks 170 of 712 models on brakes (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on brakes · check a Volkswagen Bora by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Bora is “Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement”, recorded 2,476 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 2,476 | 4.26 |
| Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded | 2,062 | 3.55 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 1,558 | 2.68 |
| Parking brake inoperative on one side | 1,307 | 2.25 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 1,210 | 2.08 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 58,126 (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 Bora gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
18.3% of Volkswagen Bora MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 5,094 miles later (14,535 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 14,535 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
Other pages for this model
Volkswagen Bora 1999 · 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 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