Volkswagen Polo Life
From 493 MOT tests. Above average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, seat belt buckle missing and damaged or not functioning as intended. The top issue, a tyre seriously damaged, caused 4 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 tyre seriously damaged | 4 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 4 |
| seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended | 2 |
| 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. | 2 |
| warning device shows system malfunction | 1 |
| a tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative | 1 |
| wiper not operating or missing | 1 |
| parking brake lever has excessive movement indicating incorrect adjustment | 1 |
| stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 1 |
| steering rack gaiter or ball joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1 |
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93.1% | tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended |
Typical mileage
Half of all Polo Lifes tested had between 11,607 and 26,287 miles on the clock. Relatively low mileage overall. Many are still fairly young.
At 19,646 median miles, the Polo Life has 0.033 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 Passat | 76.9% |
Common questions
What is the Volkswagen Polo Life MOT pass rate?
The Volkswagen Polo Life has a 93.5% MOT pass rate based on 493 real MOT tests. This is above the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Polo Life?
The most common MOT failure on the Volkswagen Polo Life is a tyre seriously damaged, which caused 4 failures. Other common issues include tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements.
What is the typical mileage of a Volkswagen Polo Life at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Volkswagen Polo Life is 19,646 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 11,607 and 26,287 miles.
Buying a used Polo Life?
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.
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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.