Volkswagen Jetta 2008: MOT failure rate for its age

37.7% of 13,044 MOT tests of the Volkswagen Jetta first registered in 2008 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 98.3 (95% CI 95.6–101.1; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2008 build year is no different from other years of the same model at the same age.

Volkswagen Jetta built in 2008 at a glance
Measure	Value	Unit	Compared with	Years	Tests
Failed first time	37.7	%	all ages tested	2019–2024	13044
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 95.6–101.1)	98.3	index	100 = normal for this model at that age	2019–2024	13044
Rank among this model's 13 build years	6	of 13	1 = fails least for its age	2019–2024	13044
Tested in 2024	1542	tests	median 127,913 miles	2024	1542

Built 2008 against Volkswagen Jetta normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 11: 37.6% vs 38.7%; age 12: 36.3% vs 36.6%; age 13: 37.2% vs 39.2%; age 14: 36.7% vs 37.6%; age 15: 38.1% vs 38.7%; age 16: 42.1% vs 40%. Axis from 0% to 50%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.

Check a 2008 Volkswagen Jetta by registration · All Volkswagen Jetta MOT statistics · Download the build-year table (CSV)

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

How does the 2008 Volkswagen Jetta fail at each age?

Cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16 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 Jetta built 2008: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
Age	Tests	Failed, %	95% interval	Normal for this model at that age, %	Index (100 = normal)
11	2,825	37.6	35.8–39.4	38.7	97.1
12	2,441	36.3	34.4–38.2	36.6	99
13	2,293	37.2	35.2–39.2	39.2	95
14	2,092	36.7	34.7–38.8	37.6	97.6
15	1,851	38.1	35.9–40.3	38.7	98.3
16	1,542	42.1	39.6–44.6	40	105.2

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,044 (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 2008 Volkswagen Jetta?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2008 is suspension: 26.9 items per 100 first tests, against 25.9 across all build years of the Volkswagen Jetta. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2008 were tested at ages 11 to 16.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Volkswagen Jetta built 2008 against the Volkswagen Jetta in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure group	Built 2008, per 100	All build years, per 100	Items
Suspension	26.9	25.9	3,504
Body, chassis, structure	21.7	12.4	2,827
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	19.9	20.1	2,596
Brakes	16.2	13.6	2,119
Tyres	12.2	10.3	1,589

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 13,044 (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 2008 compare with the years around it?

Among the 13 published build years of the Volkswagen Jetta, 2008 ranks 6 (1 = fails least for its age). 2007: index 100.5. 2009: index 94.9.

Volkswagen Jetta build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build year	Index (100 = normal)	95% interval	Verdict	Tests
2005	101.4	83.9–118.9	no different (rough estimate)	311
2006	103.3	100.8–105.8	worse	15,528
2007	100.5	98.2–102.7	no different	19,158
2008	98.3	95.6–101.1	no different	13,044
2009	94.9	91.5–98.3	better	8,508
2010	97.1	92.5–101.8	no different	4,946
2011	100.5	96.4–104.7	no different	6,640
2012	100.1	96.2–103.9	no different	8,229
2013	100.5	96.3–104.8	no different	7,319
2014	101.3	96.7–105.8	no different	6,768
2015	95.4	91.0–99.7	better	7,574
2016	97.3	91.6–103.1	no different	5,145
2017	94.9	85.4–104.5	no different (rough estimate)	1,951

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 105,121 (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 Jetta 2008 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-jetta/2008/

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.

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