Does the Volkswagen up! fail the MOT on tyres more than it should?
The Volkswagen up! records 4.75 tyres failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 8.11 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−3.36, 95% interval −3.43 to −3.29). It ranks 613 of 751 models on tyres (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on tyres · check a Volkswagen up! by registration
What exactly fails on tyres?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the Volkswagen up! is “A tyre seriously damaged”, recorded 12,519 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A tyre seriously damaged | 12,519 | 1.91 |
| Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 11,811 | 1.80 |
| A tyre cords visible or damaged | 3,344 | 0.51 |
| A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber | 890 | 0.14 |
| Tyre obviously under inflated | 762 | 0.12 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 656,392 (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 up! gets a tyres advisory, how often does it fail next time?
6.2% of Volkswagen up! MOTs with a tyres advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12 months and 5,514 miles later (111,077 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 111,077 (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 up! 2012 · Volkswagen up! 2013 · Volkswagen up! 2014 · Volkswagen up! 2015 · Volkswagen up! 2016 · 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! visibility failures