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Volkswagen up! 2016: MOT failure rate for its age

17.6% of 76,786 MOT tests of the Volkswagen up! first registered in 2016 failed at the first attempt (2019–2024; retests excluded). Against this model's own normal rate at the same ages the index is 116.9 (95% CI 114.9–118.9; 100 = normal for this model at that age): the 2016 Volkswagen up! fails more often than other build years of the same model at the same age.

Volkswagen up! built in 2016 at a glance
MeasureValueUnitCompared withYearsTests
Failed first time17.6%all ages tested2019–202476786
Index against this model at the same age (95% CI 114.9–118.9)116.9index100 = normal for this model at that age2019–202476786
Rank among this model's 9 build years9of 91 = fails least for its age2019–202476786
Tested in 202412789testsmedian 39,083 miles202412789
line · Volkswagen up! built 2016 · first-time MOT failure share by age · built 2016 10.5% vs model normal 9.7% at age 3 · 2019–2024
Built 2016 against Volkswagen up! normal for the age: first-time MOT failure share at each age, age 3: 10.5% vs 9.7%; age 4: 15% vs 13.1%; age 5: 17.9% vs 15.2%; age 6: 19.3% vs 16.4%; age 7: 20.3% vs 17.4%; age 8: 22.8% vs 18.7%. Axis from 0% to 30%. DVSA MOT bulk data, 2019–2024.
Check a 2016 Volkswagen up! by registration · All Volkswagen up! 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 2016 Volkswagen up! fail at each age?

Cars built in 2016 were tested at ages 3 to 8 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 up! built 2016: first-time MOT failure by age, against the model's normal rate at that age (2019–2024)
AgeTestsFailed, %95% intervalNormal for this model at that age, %Index (100 = normal)
313,01610.510–119.7107.6
412,5871514.4–15.613.1114.5
512,74317.917.3–18.615.2117.9
612,82019.318.6–2016.4117.8
712,83120.319.6–2117.4116.9
812,78922.822.1–23.618.7121.9

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 76,786 (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 2016 Volkswagen up!?

The most common failure group on cars built in 2016 is visibility: 5.7 items per 100 first tests, against 5.9 across all build years of the Volkswagen up!. These counts are not age-adjusted: cars built in 2016 were tested at ages 3 to 8.

Failure items per 100 first tests, Volkswagen up! built 2016 against the Volkswagen up! in all build years (2019–2024, not age-adjusted)
Failure groupBuilt 2016, per 100All build years, per 100Items
Visibility5.75.94,402
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment4.23.53,246
Tyres4.14.83,160
Brakes3.85.82,908
Noise, emissions and leaks3.11.92,366

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 76,786 (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 2016 compare with the years around it?

Among the 9 published build years of the Volkswagen up!, 2016 ranks 9 (1 = fails least for its age). 2015: index 109.7. 2017: index 97.7.

Volkswagen up! build years: index against the model at the same age (2019–2024)
Build yearIndex (100 = normal)95% intervalVerdictTests
201298.797.2–100.1no different82,741
201399.398.0–100.5no different118,455
201497.396.0–98.5better125,350
2015109.7108.1–111.3worse97,405
2016116.9114.9–118.9worse76,786
201797.795.7–99.7better67,903
201894.291.9–96.5better51,689
201971.668.5–74.6better24,973
202081.474.7–88.1better6,596

Source: DVSA MOT bulk data · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 651,898 (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 up! 2016 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-up/2016/

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.

Other pages for this model

Volkswagen up! 2012 · Volkswagen up! 2013 · Volkswagen up! 2014 · Volkswagen up! 2015 · Volkswagen up! 2017 · Volkswagen up! 2018 · Volkswagen up! 2019 · Volkswagen up! 2020 · Volkswagen up! in Norway · Volkswagen up! in Finland · Volkswagen up! in the Netherlands · Volkswagen up! by postcode area · Volkswagen up! body, chassis and structure failures · Volkswagen up! brakes failures · Volkswagen up! vehicle identification failures · Volkswagen up! lamps, reflectors and electrics failures · Volkswagen up! noise, emissions and leaks failures · Volkswagen up! road wheels failures · Volkswagen up! seat belts and airbags failures · Volkswagen up! steering failures · Volkswagen up! suspension failures · Volkswagen up! tyres failures · Volkswagen up! visibility failures