Volkswagen Passat
From 273,825 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Passats fare better: 2023 models pass at 98% vs 67.1% for 1998.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements and a tyre cords visible or damaged. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 12,591 failures in 2024. Checking tread depth (1.6mm legal minimum, 3mm recommended) before your test can save an unnecessary fail. You can check prices at Black Circles if you need replacements. If you need repairs before retesting, sites like BookMyGarage let you compare local prices.
| a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn | 12,591 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 8,331 |
| a tyre cords visible or damaged | 6,469 |
| a spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened | 6,439 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 4,783 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 4,678 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 4,576 |
| a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 4,225 |
| a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage | 4,159 |
| engine mil illuminated indicating a malfunction | 3,848 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 31.1% of Passat failures could actually strand you: fractured springs, engine faults, exhaust problems. Another 39.3% are safety issues where the car still drives but shouldn't, such as worn brakes, corroded brake pipes, and steering wear. Breakdown cover may be worth considering for this model. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £135.
The warranty question
A 3-year-old Passat passes its MOT 89.8% of the time. By 7 years old that drops to 83.6%, a 6.2 percentage point fall, right as the manufacturer warranty runs out. At 10 years it's down to 75.5%. With an average repair bill of £135 when things go wrong, an extended warranty can make sense on a Passat that's past its third birthday.
Fuel type matters
Hybrid versions pass at 87.9% while Diesel versions pass at 76.3%, a 12 percentage point gap.
Volkswagen Passat on UK roads
The fleet is shrinking: 15,816 scrapped or exported in the past year with only 2,555 newly registered, a net loss of 13,261. At this rate, roughly 15.6 years until none remain. Now at 58.3% of its peak (354,099 in 2012 Q3).
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 169,213 | 37,207 | +651 | -3,761 | -3,110 |
| 2025 Q2 | 172,639 | 36,891 | +503 | -3,841 | -3,338 |
| 2025 Q1 | 176,297 | 36,571 | +1,062 | -4,013 | -2,951 |
| 2024 Q4 | 179,424 | 36,395 | +339 | -4,201 | -3,862 |
| 2024 Q3 | 183,352 | 36,329 | +358 | -4,267 | -3,909 |
| 2024 Q2 | 187,256 | 36,334 | +315 | -3,791 | -3,476 |
| 2024 Q1 | 191,037 | 36,029 | +353 | -4,224 | -3,871 |
| 2023 Q4 | 195,560 | 35,377 | +239 | -3,963 | -3,724 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passat Se Business Tdi Bmt | Diesel | 14,479 | 15% |
| Passat Se Bluemotion Tech Tdi | Diesel | 10,011 | 10% |
| Passat Se Business Tdi Bmt S-A | Diesel | 7,295 | 8% |
| Passat Highline Tdi Blue Tech | Diesel | 6,658 | 7% |
| Passat Gt Tdi Bluemotion Tech | Diesel | 6,224 | 6% |
| Passat Executive Tdi Bmt | Diesel | 6,052 | 6% |
| Passat S Bluemotion Tech Tdi | Diesel | 5,631 | 6% |
| Passat Sport Bluemotn Tech Tdi | Diesel | 4,763 | 5% |
| Passat Gt Tdi Bmotion Tech S-A | Diesel | 4,316 | 5% |
| Passat Se Tdi | Diesel | 4,201 | 4% |
| Passat Gte S-A | Plug-In Hybrid Electric (Petrol) | 4,165 | 4% |
| Passat S Tdi Bluemotion Tech | Diesel | 2,837 | 3% |
| Passat Highline Tdi 140 | Diesel | 2,673 | 3% |
| Passat Sport Tdi | Diesel | 2,521 | 3% |
| Passat R Line Tdi Bmt S-A | Diesel | 2,473 | 3% |
| Passat S Tdi | Diesel | 2,401 | 3% |
| Passat R Line Tdi Bmotion Tech | Diesel | 2,332 | 2% |
| Passat Se Bluemotn Tech Tdi Sa | Diesel | 2,305 | 2% |
| Passat Highline Tdi | Diesel | 2,297 | 2% |
| Passat Gte Advance S-A | Plug-In Hybrid Electric (Petrol) | 2,174 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 98% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2021 | 87.1% | a tyre cords visible or damaged, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 2020 | 89.8% | a tyre seriously damaged, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2019 | 88.3% | a tyre seriously damaged, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
23 earlier years
| 2018 | 88.1% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2017 | 85.3% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2016 | 83.6% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2015 | 82.4% | a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2014 | 78.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2013 | 75.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2012 | 74% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2011 | 73.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2010 | 72.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2009 | 72.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2008 | 70% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2007 | 68.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2006 | 67.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2005 | 67.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2004 | 67.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2003 | 67% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2002 | 67.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2001 | 67.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2000 | 65.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1999 | 67.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1998 | 67.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 1997 | 75.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 1996 | 75% | parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement, a door will not open using the relevant control or close properly |
Typical mileage
Half of all Passats tested had between 71,008 and 139,696 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 106,372 median miles, the Passat has 0.022 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Volkswagen models
| Volkswagen Golf | 79.1% |
| Volkswagen Polo | 73.8% |
| Volkswagen Transporter | 73.8% |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 84.6% |
| Volkswagen Caddy | 76.4% |
Common questions
What is the Volkswagen Passat MOT pass rate?
The Volkswagen Passat has a 76.9% MOT pass rate based on 273,825 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Passat?
The most common MOT failure on the Volkswagen Passat is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 12,591 failures. Other common issues include tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
How many Volkswagen Passats are on UK roads?
There are 169,213 Volkswagen Passats currently licensed on UK roads, with 37,207 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Volkswagen Passat at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Volkswagen Passat is 106,372 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 71,008 and 139,696 miles.
Buying a used Passat?
Start with the free tools. Look up the specific vehicle's MOT history on GOV.UK The mileage at each test will show if it's been wound back, and the advisory history tells you what's wearing. Cross-reference that against the typical failures above to see if anything looks unusual for this model.
The free data won't tell you about outstanding finance, theft markers, or write-off history. For that, you need a vehicle history check This is especially important on a private sale where you have fewer legal protections.
With a 76.9% pass rate and an average repair bill of £135 when things go wrong, budget accordingly. 31.1% of failures on this model could actually strand you, so breakdown cover may be worth considering.
Some links are to services we may earn from. Disclosure.
MOT data from DVSA anonymised test results, 2024 test year. Fleet data from DfT vehicle licensing statistics. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0. MOT pass rates are statistical summaries of test outcomes, not assessments of individual vehicle safety or condition. Always inspect a vehicle and check its full MOT history before purchasing. See terms of use.