Volkswagen Polo
From 1,030,915 MOT tests. Average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Polos fare better: 2022 models pass at 95.1% vs 72.1% for 1991.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements and a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 36,904 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 | 36,904 |
| the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements | 25,297 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 21,820 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 21,273 |
| steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 20,836 |
| a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources | 16,447 |
| a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 16,350 |
| windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen | 16,023 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 15,522 |
| parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement | 14,686 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 40.7% of failures are serious: 32.7% are safety issues (brakes, steering, tyre damage) and 8% could actually leave you stranded. That's close to the 44.4% average across all models. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £95.
The warranty question
A 3-year-old Polo passes its MOT 89.6% of the time. By 7 years old that drops to 80.8%, a 8.8 percentage point fall, right as the manufacturer warranty runs out. At 10 years it's down to 73.3%. With an average repair bill of £95 when things go wrong, an extended warranty can make sense on a Polo that's past its third birthday.
Fuel type matters
Petrol versions pass at 74.4% while Diesel versions pass at 67.9%, a 7 percentage point gap.
Volkswagen Polo on UK roads
The fleet is growing: 26,209 newly registered in the past year with 24,547 leaving, a net gain of 1,662. Currently at its highest numbers ever.
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 664,607 | 47,188 | +6,979 | -6,986 | -7 |
| 2025 Q2 | 665,450 | 46,352 | +6,167 | -6,125 | +42 |
| 2025 Q1 | 665,620 | 46,140 | +7,609 | -6,510 | +1,099 |
| 2024 Q4 | 665,364 | 45,297 | +5,454 | -4,926 | +528 |
| 2024 Q3 | 665,712 | 44,421 | +8,832 | -6,966 | +1,866 |
| 2024 Q2 | 664,454 | 43,813 | +9,026 | -6,319 | +2,707 |
| 2024 Q1 | 661,648 | 43,912 | +6,338 | -5,155 | +1,183 |
| 2023 Q4 | 661,570 | 42,807 | +8,609 | -3,513 | +5,096 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polo Se Tsi | Petrol | 52,344 | 13% |
| Polo Match Tsi | Petrol | 42,213 | 10% |
| Polo Se | Petrol | 36,369 | 9% |
| Polo Match Edition | Petrol | 34,381 | 8% |
| Polo Match 60 | Petrol | 30,657 | 7% |
| Polo S 60 | Petrol | 26,332 | 6% |
| Polo Life Tsi | Petrol | 22,322 | 5% |
| Polo Se Tsi S-A | Petrol | 16,591 | 4% |
| Polo Match Tsi S-A | Petrol | 16,369 | 4% |
| Polo Match | Petrol | 16,009 | 4% |
| Polo Match Edition Tsi | Petrol | 14,673 | 4% |
| Polo R-Line Tsi | Petrol | 14,592 | 4% |
| Polo Life | Petrol | 13,893 | 3% |
| Polo Life Tsi S-A | Petrol | 12,356 | 3% |
| Polo R-Line Tsi S-A | Petrol | 11,956 | 3% |
| Polo Match 85 | Petrol | 11,640 | 3% |
| Polo Se Evo | Petrol | 11,592 | 3% |
| Polo Se 85 | Petrol | 9,321 | 2% |
| Polo Sel Tsi | Petrol | 8,704 | 2% |
| Polo S | Gas | 7,883 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 95.1% | windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured and affecting the driver's view of the road or of an obligatory external mirror, a headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of led |
| 2021 | 90.2% | a tyre seriously damaged, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
| 2020 | 89.6% | wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2019 | 85.9% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen |
34 earlier years
| 2018 | 81.2% | steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover damaged or deteriorated |
| 2017 | 81.7% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2016 | 80.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2015 | 78.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2014 | 75.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2013 | 73.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources |
| 2012 | 72% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
| 2011 | 69.9% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage |
| 2010 | 68.9% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2009 | 66.7% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2008 | 64.5% | a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2007 | 64.5% | a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2006 | 62.3% | a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc, the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements |
| 2005 | 61.3% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2004 | 61.3% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2003 | 60.7% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2002 | 62.1% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2001 | 64% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2000 | 65.9% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1999 | 70.4% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, emissions levels exceed default limits |
| 1998 | 64.9% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any seat belt anchorage (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1997 | 68.2% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced |
| 1996 | 66.8% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 1995 | 67.7% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 1994 | 68.5% | emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, a tyre seriously damaged |
| 1993 | 66% | emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits, emissions levels exceed default limits |
| 1992 | 73.2% | a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1991 | 72.1% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded |
| 1990 | 72.1% | brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle., the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1989 | 66.4% | the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, emissions levels exceed default limits |
| 1988 | 66.3% | a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1987 | 61.8% | the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired, brakes imbalance across an axle such that the braking effort from any wheel is less than 70% of the maximum effort recorded from the other wheel on the same axle. |
| 1986 | 61% | emissions levels exceed default limits, the strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired |
| 1985 | 75.4% | a direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen |
Typical mileage
Half of all Polos tested had between 67,192 and 131,042 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 103,248 median miles, the Polo has 0.025 failures per 10,000 miles driven.
Other Volkswagen models
| Volkswagen Golf | 79.1% |
| Volkswagen Transporter | 73.8% |
| Volkswagen Tiguan | 84.6% |
| Volkswagen Passat | 76.9% |
| Volkswagen Caddy | 76.4% |
Common questions
What is the Volkswagen Polo MOT pass rate?
The Volkswagen Polo has a 73.8% MOT pass rate based on 1,030,915 real MOT tests. This is around the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Polo?
The most common MOT failure on the Volkswagen Polo is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 36,904 failures. Other common issues include the aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements.
How many Volkswagen Polos are on UK roads?
There are 664,607 Volkswagen Polos currently licensed on UK roads, with 47,188 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Volkswagen Polo at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Volkswagen Polo is 103,248 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 67,192 and 131,042 miles.
Buying a used Polo?
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 73.8% pass rate and an average repair bill of £95 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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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.