Does the Volkswagen California fail the MOT on brakes more than it should?
The Volkswagen California records 4.31 brakes failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 6.94 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−2.63, 95% interval −2.87 to −2.39). It ranks 485 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 California by registration
What exactly fails on brakes?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen California is “a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm”, recorded 500 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 500 | 1.10 |
| Warning device shows system malfunction | 420 | 0.92 |
| ESC MIL indicates a system malfunction | 163 | 0.36 |
| Significant brake effort recorded with no brake applied indicating a binding brake | 120 | 0.26 |
| Brake disc or drum significantly and obviously worn | 112 | 0.25 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 45,562 (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 California gets a brakes advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.8% of Volkswagen California MOTs with a brakes advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 6,092 miles later (4,585 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 4,585 (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 California 2010 · Volkswagen California 2011 · Volkswagen California 2012 · Volkswagen California 2013 · Volkswagen California 2014 · Volkswagen California 2015 · Volkswagen California 2016 · Volkswagen California 2017 · Volkswagen California 2018 · Volkswagen California 2019 · Volkswagen California 2020 · Volkswagen California in Norway · Volkswagen California in the Netherlands · Volkswagen California by postcode area · Volkswagen California body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen California vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen California lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen California noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen California road wheels failures · Volkswagen California seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen California steering failures · Volkswagen California suspension failures · Volkswagen California tyres failures · Volkswagen California visibility failures