Volkswagen Polo MOT pass rate and common problems
Volkswagen Polos fail their MOT more often than other cars of the same age.
- Failed at the first attempt
- 34.4%failed at the first attempt in 2024
Average for cars of the same age: 30.8%
Data: DVSA MOT results · 2024 · 595,422 tests
Check a Volkswagen Polo by registration
Volkswagen Polo common problems: what should I check before buying?
The faults recorded most often at Volkswagen Polo MOTs in 2019–2024, per 100 tests.
- Worn suspension bush or joint4.51Major
What to check: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, feel for the car wandering under braking, and ask which part was replaced.
- One number plate light out4.19Minor
What to check: Check every number plate light works with the sidelights on; a single dead bulb or LED is a cheap fix.
- Headlight aimed wrongly4.03Major
What to check: Shine the dipped beams at a wall after dark: both should sit at the same height.
- Tyre tread below the legal limit3.61Dangerous
What to check: Check the tread across every tyre with a gauge; wear on one edge points to a tracking fault.
- Suspension joint cover split or missing3.26Major
What to check: Ask whether the ball joint was replaced along with its cover: a joint that ran unprotected wears quickly and knocks over bumps.
One test can record several defects, so this is not the share of Volkswagen Polos.
Each tip applies only if the car you are looking at has that fault in its own MOT history.
Check a Volkswagen Polo by registration
Which Volkswagen Polo years should I avoid?
2019 is the Volkswagen Polo year that fails its MOT most for its age; 1999 fails least.
Fails more for its age: 2013, 2019.
Fails less for its age: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2015, 2016.
Years without published figures
- 2024, 2025, 2026
These registration years do not need an MOT yet. Ask the seller for the service history.
- 2021, 2022, 2023
Our figures end in 2024, before these cars had enough MOTs to compare.
Year means the year the car was first registered, as DVSA records it. It may differ from the year it was built.
How does the Volkswagen Polo compare with similar cars?
5 of 8 similar models fail less often for their age than the Volkswagen Polo.
This is a different comparison from the one at the top. There, the Volkswagen Polo is measured against all cars of the same age. Here, it sits among similar models. Both can be true.
| Model | MOT Risk Index |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Polo | 111.6 |
| Ford Fiesta | 113 |
| Vauxhall Corsa | 118.7 |
| MINI Hatch | 86 |
| Toyota Yaris | 89.8 |
| Renault Clio | 136.1 |
| Kia Picanto | 104.6 |
| Skoda Fabia | 99.8 |
| Citroën C1 | 97.5 |
How do Volkswagen Polos hold up as they get older?
First-time MOT failures on Volkswagen Polos go from 11.5% at age 3 to 51.8% at age 19.
| Age at MOT (years) | Volkswagen Polo failed (%) | All cars failed (%) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 11.5 | 12.4 | 6,229 |
| 16 | 48.9 | 43.1 | 25,369 |
| 17 | 48.6 | 43.1 | 23,217 |
| 18 | 51.5 | 43.9 | 19,948 |
| 19 | 51.8 | 43.5 | 15,526 |
Do advisories on Volkswagen Polos turn into fails at the next MOT?
37.2% of lights and electrical advisories on Volkswagen Polos turned into lights and electrical fails at the next MOT.
The next MOT came about 12 months later.
Based on 52,233 advisories, each followed to the car's next MOT, 2019–2024. This counts advisories, not cars.
The most common advisories on Volkswagen Polos are for tyres: 41.90 per 100 tests.
| Advisory | Failed next time (%) | Advisories followed |
|---|---|---|
| lamps, reflectors and electrics | 37.2 | 52,233 |
| suspension | 22.2 | 418,803 |
| body, chassis and structure | 21 | 128,934 |
| brakes | 14.5 | 470,508 |
| steering | 12.8 | 32,648 |
What else should I know about a used Volkswagen Polo?
- MOT pass rate, 2024
- 34.4% failed at the first attempt; after repairs at the test centre, 71.8% passed in the end.
- MOT tests counted
- 595,422 first tests in 2024; retests are left out
- Years first registered
- 1998 to 2020
- Fuel
- Petrol 91.8%, diesel 8.2%
- ULEZ
- 85.1% likely to meet it, judged from fuel and registration date
- Typical mileage at 8 years old
- 51,858 miles
- Recalls
- 30 campaigns listed by DVSA
Volkswagen Polo common problems: what actually fails the MOT?
Volkswagen Polo MOTs fail most often on ‘lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment’: 23.4 per 100 tests, against 18.6 for UK cars of the same age (2019–2024, n = 3,584,610).
| Measure | Value (per 100) | Comparison (per 100) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 23.4 | 18.6 | 837,280 |
| Suspension | 16.8 | 16.1 | 603,052 |
| Brakes | 14.5 | 12.3 | 519,546 |
| Body, chassis, structure | 9.6 | 5.9 | 342,443 |
| Visibility | 9.1 | 8.2 | 327,094 |
What is likely to fail next on a used Volkswagen Polo?
For Volkswagen Polos aged 3 to 5 whose last MOT was a pass, the item most likely to fail at the next MOT is visibility: 4.9% failed on it (2019–2024, n = 388,160).
| Measure | Value (% next fail) |
|---|---|
| Visibility, 3 to 5 years old, after a pass | 4.9 |
| Steering, 3 to 5 years old, after a pass | 3.4 |
| Tyres, 3 to 5 years old, after a pass | 3.3 |
| Brakes, 3 to 5 years old, after a pass | 2.8 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment, 3 to 5 years old, after a pass | 2.3 |
How often do Volkswagen Polos get a dangerous MOT defect?
The Volkswagen Polo gets a dangerous defect less often than the UK average: 10.0 per 100 first tests against 11.2 across the UK. In the same tests, 65.5 major and 19.6 minor defects were recorded per 100 tests (one test can record several).
Severity was not recorded for some 2018–2021 tests.
| Measure | Value (per 100) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerous defects | 10.0 | 3,584,610 |
Comparison: 11.2 per 100.
How much do Volkswagen Polo MOT repairs cost?
Expected repair cost per Volkswagen Polo MOT: about £93 (up to about £176 if more expensive parts are needed), from the chance of failing each item and its most common UK repair price (catalogue estimate, n = 595,422).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Expected repair bill | 92.6 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Estimated range lower | 92.6 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Estimated range upper | 175.9 GBP estimate | modal price catalogue |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment: Battery replacement (standard 12V lead-acid) | 32.8 GBP expected contribution | 140 |
| Suspension: Suspension coil spring (single corner) | 30.2 GBP expected contribution | 180 |
What mileage is normal for a used Volkswagen Polo?
At age 8, the median Volkswagen Polo had covered 51,858 miles by its MOT; the middle half ranged from 37,292 to 67,778 miles (2024, n = 51,679).
| Measure | Value (miles) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 median | 20225 | 6,229 |
| Age 3 P25 | 13886 | 6,229 |
| Age 3 P75 | 27797 | 6,229 |
| Age 4 median | 25660 | 13,680 |
| Age 4 P25 | 17599 | 13,680 |
Do high-mileage Volkswagen Polos fail their MOT more often?
At ages 10–14, 20.3% of Volkswagen Polos with under 40,000 miles failed first time, against 49.0% of those with over 140,000 miles (2024, n = 28,541). Inside this age group, higher mileage goes with more failures.
| Measure | Value (% failed first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3–5, <40k miles | 13.5 | 42,383 |
| Age 3–5, 40-70k miles | 19.9 | 12,988 |
| Age 3–5, 70-100k miles | 24.7 | 1,046 |
| Age 3–5, 100-140k miles (rough estimate: 104 tests, 95% interval 20.2–37.2%) | 27.9 | 104 |
| Age 6–9, <40k miles | 17.6 | 67,973 |
How many miles do Volkswagen Polos last?
15.6% of Volkswagen Polos tested had reached 100,000 miles, and 2.0% had reached 150,000 (2024, n = 556,016).
| Measure | Value (% of tested cars) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| 100,000 miles | 15.6 | 556,016 |
| 150,000 miles | 2.0 | 70,802 |
| 200,000 miles | 0.2 | 7,041 |
Does mileage, as well as age, change the Volkswagen Polo failure index?
Matched on annual mileage as well as age, the Volkswagen Polo index is 113.9, against 108.0 on age alone (2019–2024, n = 595,422).
| Measure | Value (index) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age and mileage adjusted index | 113.9 | 595,422 |
Comparison: 108 index.
Which Volkswagen Polo fuel type fails its MOT less?
Diesel Volkswagen Polos fail first time more often than petrol ones, before allowing for age: 44.7% against 33.4%.
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 33.4 | 546,573 |
| Diesel | 44.7 | 48,821 |
Comparison: other fuels.
Which Volkswagen Polo engine fails its MOT least?
Among engines with enough tests, the best Volkswagen Polo engine is the petrol 1.8–2.0 litre at index 79.7, and the worst the diesel 1.0–1.2 litre at 123.1, where 100 = the model's own average (2024, n = 595,422).
| Measure | Value (index vs model norm) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol 1.8–2.0 litre | 79.7 | 23,333 |
| Petrol 1.5–1.8 litre | 85.7 | 56,220 |
| Petrol 1.2–1.5 litre | 92.8 | 795,939 |
| Petrol 1.0–1.2 litre | 101 | 1,664,775 |
| Petrol under 1.0 litre | 103.1 | 687,134 |
Comparison: 100 = model average.
Where in Britain does the Volkswagen Polo fail its MOT most?
Volkswagen Polo fails first-time MOTs most in Truro (TR): 44.0% against 33.1% across Britain for this model, both 2019–2024 (2019–2024, n = 24,335).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Truro (TR) | 44.0 | 24,335 |
| Bristol (BS) | 42 | 67,759 |
| Llandrindod Wells (LD) | 41.7 | 2,591 |
| Bromley (BR) | 26.5 | 16,770 |
| Southend-on-Sea (SS) | 26.7 | 17,413 |
Across Britain for this model: 33.1% failed first time, also in 2019–2024.
Does the Volkswagen Polo have rust problems?
Allowing for age, Volkswagen Polo MOTs record corrosion failures at 1.0 times the national rate: 0.78% of tests against 0.77% (2024 + geographic layers, n = 591,124).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value (ratio estimate) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Salt belt susceptibility | 1.0 | 591,124 |
Comparison: 1 ratio estimate.
What do six years of MOTs show about owning a used Volkswagen Polo?
Of failed Volkswagen Polo MOTs, 45.9% were retested the same day and a further 51.5% within 10 days; the median failed car passed its retest after 1 day (2019–2024, n = 856,289).
| Measure | Value | Comparison | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same-day retest | 45.9 % | failed initial tests | 856,289 |
| Retest within 10 days | 51.5 % | failed initial tests | 856,289 |
| Clean MOT streak | 37.6 % | observed chains | 639,871 |
| Repeat advisory | 31.6 % | observed chains | 639,871 |
| Decreasing odometer | 0.8 % mileage anomaly | observed chains | 683,133 |
Is low mileage good for a used Volkswagen Polo?
Volkswagen Polos aged 5 to 14 doing under 5,000 miles a year failed first time in 21.3% of tests, against 38.6% for those doing 8,000 to 12,000 miles (2019–2024, n = 674,181).
| Measure | Value | Comparison | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low-use first-time failure | 21.3 % | 38.6 | 674,181 |
| Low-use gap | -17.3 percentage points | 8–12k miles | 674,181 |
How many years do Volkswagen Polos last?
Volkswagen Polos tend to last: at ten years old the typical one has about 6.6 more years of MOTs ahead, more than the median model. This is a forecast from the survival curve and may not come true.
Computed, not measured.
Forecast, not a prediction for a particular car.
| Measure | Value (years forecast) |
|---|---|
| Age 5 | 10.6 |
| Age 8 | 7.6 |
| Age 10 | 6.6 |
| Age 12 | 5.3 |
| Age 15 (at least; observed only until age 19) | 3.4 |
How many Volkswagen Polos are still on the road as they age?
In 2024, for every 100 Volkswagen Polos tested at ages 4 to 6, about 29 were tested at age 19 (2024, n = 75,775).
| Measure | Value (% of age 4–6 baseline) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 | 80 | 212,720 |
| Age 4 | 92 | 244,540 |
| Age 5 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 274,840 |
| Age 6 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 277,903 |
| Age 7 (at least as many as at ages 4–6) | 100 | 271,856 |
If a used Volkswagen Polo fails its MOT, will it fail the next one?
Volkswagen Polos that fail once are much more likely to fail again: 39.3% failed the next MOT after a fail, against 27.4% after a pass (test chains 2019–2024). The failure most likely to come back is ‘lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment’: 41.1% of those fails recurred at the next MOT.
| Measure | Value (%) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat after fail | 39.3 | 243,863 |
Comparison: 27.4 %.
Which Volkswagen Polo faults tend to come together?
On Volkswagen Polos, seat belts and supplementary restraint systems and speedometer and speed limiter failures turn up together 13.3 times as often as chance would predict (2024, n = 22).
| Measure | Value (lift) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems + Speedometer and speed limiter (rough estimate: 22 tests, 95% interval 8.3–20.1) | 13.3 | 22 |
| Buses and coaches supplementary tests + Noise, emissions and leaks (rough estimate: 24 tests, 95% interval 3.8–8.9) | 6.0 | 24 |
| Identification of the vehicle + Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.2 | 636 |
| Identification of the vehicle + Road Wheels (rough estimate: 159 tests, 95% interval 4.4–6.0) | 5.2 | 159 |
| Road Wheels + Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 5.0 | 503 |
Comparison: expected joint rate.
Volkswagen Polo safety recalls: how do I check this car?
DVSA lists 30 safety recall campaigns matched to the Volkswagen Polo; check whether yours has been fixed, using its registration number.
| Measure | Value (campaigns) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| DVSA recall campaigns matched | 30 | 595,422 |
Comparison: DVSA register.
How many Volkswagen Polos fail the MOT at each age?
Of every 100 Volkswagen Polos tested at age 5, about 17 failed the MOT first time; at age 10, about 32. These are one-year rates for different cars tested in the same year, not a fleet followed over time; the steepest one-year step in this cross-section is between cars aged 5 and 6, 7.16 percentage points (2024).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Age 3 | 11.5 | 6,229 |
| Age 4 | 12.2 | 13,680 |
| Age 5 | 16.9 | 36,630 |
| Age 6 | 24.1 | 43,838 |
| Age 7 | 22.6 | 45,915 |
Do Volkswagen Polos fail their MOT more in some months?
Volkswagen Polos fail first time most in January (35.0%, against 31.1% for all cars that month) and least in June (30.9%) (2024, n = 595,422).
| Measure | Value (% fail first time) | Comparison (% fail first time) | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35 | 31.1 | 316,637 |
| February | 33.9 | 30.0 | 296,040 |
| March | 31.6 | 28.3 | 364,755 |
| April | 33.8 | 29.8 | 197,273 |
| May | 32.3 | 28.8 | 223,463 |
How far is real-world MPG from the lab figure for Volkswagen cars?
Real-world fuel use of 2021 petrol cars from Volkswagen is 12.6% above the official WLTP figure: 6.99 against 6.21 litres per 100 km (2021+ cohorts, n = 225,858 vehicles).
Computed, not measured.
| Measure | Value (% real-world vs official) | Tests |
|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen 2021 diesel | 15.4 | 141,823 |
| Volkswagen 2021 petrol | 12.6 | 225,858 |
| Volkswagen 2021 petrol/electric | 290.9 | 14,412 |
| Volkswagen 2022 diesel | 16.7 | 128,052 |
| Volkswagen 2022 petrol | 13.6 | 175,368 |
Plug-in hybrids: the lab figure assumes the battery is charged often; on the road many are driven mostly on petrol, so the gap is several times larger.
Comparison: 0% gap.
European Commission OBFCM; covers 19 of 761 models.
What DVSA defect categories mean
- Dangerous: the car should not be driven until it is repaired.
- Major: the car fails the MOT.
- Minor: recorded, but the car still passes.
- Advisory: noted by the tester to keep an eye on; the car still passes.
How are these figures calculated?
We count first MOT tests only; retests after repairs are left out. Each model is compared with cars of the same age.
Which Volkswagen Polo figures are missing, and why?
We have not worked this out for the Volkswagen Polo yet.
- What have dealers been told about the Volkswagen Polo? (US market)
- What do owners complain about? (US market)
Cite this page or report an error
How to cite this page
MOT Risk Index (2026). Volkswagen Polo MOT statistics 2024 (data release dvsa-2024-v2; full dataset motriskindex-families-2024-v5, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22975051), updated 24 September 2026. motriskindex.co.uk/cars/volkswagen-polo/
How the MOT Risk Index and every figure on this page are calculated: methodology.
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More on the Volkswagen Polo
- Overview:
- Model overview · All Volkswagen models
- Build years:
- 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2014 · 2015 · 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2019 · 2020
- What fails:
- body · brakes · plates · lights · emissions · wheels · seat belts · steering · suspension · tyres · visibility
- Abroad:
- Finland · the Netherlands · Norway
- By area:
- Postcode areas
- Compare:
- Ford Fiesta · Vauxhall Corsa · MINI Hatch · Toyota Yaris · Renault Clio