Does the Volkswagen Polo fail the MOT on steering more than it should?
The Volkswagen Polo records 4.57 steering failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 2.99 expected for a car of the same age mix: more than expected for its class and age (+1.58, 95% interval +1.56 to +1.61). It ranks 131 of 640 models on steering (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on steering · check a Volkswagen Polo by registration
What exactly fails on steering?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen Polo is “Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated”, recorded 77,887 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated | 77,887 | 2.17 |
| Steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 54,903 | 1.53 |
| A steering ball joint with excessive wear or free play | 18,942 | 0.53 |
| Power steering fluid leaking or system malfunctioning | 3,686 | 0.10 |
| Free play in the steering, measured at the rim of the steering wheel is excessive | 1,811 | 0.05 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 3,584,610 (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 Polo gets a steering advisory, how often does it fail next time?
12.8% of Volkswagen Polo MOTs with a steering advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,362 miles later (32,648 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 32,648 (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 Polo 1998 · Volkswagen Polo 1999 · Volkswagen Polo 2000 · Volkswagen Polo 2001 · Volkswagen Polo 2002 · Volkswagen Polo 2003 · Volkswagen Polo 2004 · Volkswagen Polo 2005 · Volkswagen Polo 2006 · Volkswagen Polo 2007 · Volkswagen Polo 2008 · Volkswagen Polo 2009 · Volkswagen Polo 2010 · Volkswagen Polo 2011 · Volkswagen Polo 2012 · Volkswagen Polo 2013 · Volkswagen Polo 2014 · Volkswagen Polo 2015 · Volkswagen Polo 2016 · Volkswagen Polo 2017 · Volkswagen Polo 2018 · Volkswagen Polo 2019 · Volkswagen Polo 2020 · Volkswagen Polo in Finland · Volkswagen Polo in the Netherlands · Volkswagen Polo in Norway · Volkswagen Polo by postcode area · Volkswagen Polo body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen Polo brakes failures · Volkswagen Polo vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen Polo lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen Polo noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen Polo road wheels failures · Volkswagen Polo seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen Polo suspension failures · Volkswagen Polo tyres failures · Volkswagen Polo visibility failures