Does the Volkswagen Bora fail the MOT on noise, emissions and leaks more than it should?
The Volkswagen Bora records 9.45 noise, emissions and leaks failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 9.46 expected for a car of the same age mix: about as expected for its class and age (the difference is within its interval or under 0.5 items per 100 tests) (−0.01, 95% interval −0.26 to +0.24). It ranks 266 of 678 models on noise, emissions and leaks (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on noise, emissions and leaks · check a Volkswagen Bora by registration
What exactly fails on noise, emissions and leaks?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Bora is “Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction”, recorded 1,336 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction | 1,336 | 2.30 |
| Emissions levels exceed default limits | 928 | 1.60 |
| Emissions test unable to be completed | 622 | 1.07 |
| Smoke opacity levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limit | 573 | 0.99 |
| Lambda coefficient outside the default limits or the range specified by the manufacturer | 533 | 0.92 |
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 noise, emissions and leaks advisory, how often does it fail next time?
8.6% of Volkswagen Bora MOTs with a noise, emissions and leaks advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,494 miles later (4,385 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,385 (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 brakes failures · Volkswagen Bora vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Bora lamps, reflectors and electrics 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