Does the Volkswagen California fail the MOT on lamps, reflectors and electrics more than it should?
The Volkswagen California records 4.93 lamps, reflectors and electrics failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 9.17 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.24, 95% interval −4.52 to −3.96). It ranks 501 of 729 models on lamps, reflectors and electrics (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on lamps, reflectors and electrics · check a Volkswagen California by registration
What exactly fails on lamps, reflectors and electrics?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen California is “A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources”, recorded 916 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 916 | 2.01 |
| The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 307 | 0.67 |
| Reflector defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface | 142 | 0.31 |
| An obligatory rear fog lamp missing, or a front or rear fog lamp inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 111 | 0.24 |
| A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps | 90 | 0.20 |
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
Other pages for this model
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