Volkswagen Sharan
From 50,408 MOT tests. Above average for its class.
Common MOT failure categories
Pass rate by registration year
Newer Sharans fare better: 2021 models pass at 86.1% vs 61.7% for 2004.
Pass rate by fuel type
What goes wrong?
The most common MOT failure reasons are a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged and tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements. The top issue, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, caused 2,481 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 | 2,481 |
| a tyre cords visible or damaged | 1,203 |
| tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements | 1,113 |
| a tyre seriously damaged | 875 |
| a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 830 |
| 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 | 571 |
| a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm | 564 |
| engine mil illuminated indicating a malfunction | 558 |
| a lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning | 459 |
| a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 430 |
How serious are these failures?
Not all MOT failures are equal. 17.2% of Sharan failures could actually strand you: fractured springs, engine faults, exhaust problems. Another 56.4% are safety issues where the car still drives but shouldn't, such as worn brakes, corroded brake pipes, and steering wear. When it does fail, the average repair bill is around £128.
Fuel type matters
Petrol versions pass at 85.6% while Diesel versions pass at 79%, a 7 percentage point gap.
Volkswagen Sharan on UK roads
The fleet is shrinking: 1,386 scrapped or exported in the past year with only 57 newly registered, a net loss of 1,329. At this rate, roughly 25 years until none remain. Now at 72% of its peak (46,139 in 2008 Q4).
Quarterly breakdown
| Quarter | On road | SORN | New | Gone | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Q3 | 28,276 | 4,940 | +17 | -296 | -279 |
| 2025 Q2 | 28,586 | 4,909 | +11 | -218 | -207 |
| 2025 Q1 | 28,808 | 4,894 | +16 | -257 | -241 |
| 2024 Q4 | 29,062 | 4,881 | +13 | -615 | -602 |
| 2024 Q3 | 29,620 | 4,925 | +11 | -509 | -498 |
| 2024 Q2 | 30,115 | 4,928 | +15 | -330 | -315 |
| 2024 Q1 | 30,423 | 4,935 | +21 | -519 | -498 |
| 2023 Q4 | 31,016 | 4,840 | +27 | -533 | -506 |
20 variants on the road
| Variant | Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharan Se Bluemotion Tdi S-A | Diesel | 2,650 | 12% |
| Sharan Se Bluemotion Tdi | Diesel | 2,351 | 10% |
| Sharan Se Navigation Tsi S-A | Petrol | 1,892 | 8% |
| Sharan Se Nav Bmot Tech Tdi Sa | Diesel | 1,871 | 8% |
| Sharan Se Navigation Tdi S-A | Diesel | 1,590 | 7% |
| Sharan Se Bmotion Tech Tdi S-A | Diesel | 1,583 | 7% |
| Sharan S Bluemotion Tdi S-A | Diesel | 1,481 | 7% |
| Sharan Se Tdi S-A | Diesel | 1,376 | 6% |
| Sharan Se Bluemotion Tech Tdi | Diesel | 1,288 | 6% |
| Sharan Se Nav Bmotion Tech Tdi | Diesel | 937 | 4% |
| Sharan Sel Bmotion Tech Tdi Sa | Diesel | 845 | 4% |
| Sharan Se Tdi | Petrol | 707 | 3% |
| Sharan Se Navigation Tdi | Diesel | 704 | 3% |
| Sharan S Bluemotion Tdi | Diesel | 634 | 3% |
| Sharan Se Navigation Tsi | Petrol | 525 | 2% |
| Sharan S Bmotion Tech Tdi S-A | Diesel | 497 | 2% |
| Sharan Sel Tdi S-A | Diesel | 446 | 2% |
| Sharan Sel Bluemotion Tdi S-A | Diesel | 436 | 2% |
| Sharan S Tdi 115 Auto | Diesel | 430 | 2% |
| Sharan Sel Bluemotion Tdi | Diesel | 425 | 2% |
Source: DfT vehicle licensing statistics, 2025 Q3. Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
By registration year
| Year | Pass rate | Top failures |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 86.1% | a tyre seriously damaged, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2020 | 87.3% | a tyre seriously damaged, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2019 | 88.4% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2018 | 86.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
17 earlier years
| 2017 | 84.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2016 | 82.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements |
| 2015 | 79.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2014 | 79.5% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2013 | 78.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2012 | 77.6% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2011 | 77.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a tyre cords visible or damaged |
| 2010 | 71.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2009 | 66.1% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, a suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated |
| 2008 | 60.8% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 |
| 2007 | 61% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 |
| 2006 | 59.3% | a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 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 |
| 2005 | 61.1% | 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, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2004 | 61.7% | 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, a transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc |
| 2003 | 61.3% | 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 |
| 2002 | 61.7% | 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, a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn |
| 2001 | 69.2% | vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced, a suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated |
Typical mileage
Half of all Sharans tested had between 106,790 and 162,641 miles on the clock. A significant number are high-mileage vehicles.
At 143,634 median miles, the Sharan has 0.014 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 Sharan MOT pass rate?
The Volkswagen Sharan has a 80.5% MOT pass rate based on 50,408 real MOT tests. This is above the national average.
What are common MOT failures on a Volkswagen Sharan?
The most common MOT failure on the Volkswagen Sharan is a suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which caused 2,481 failures. Other common issues include a tyre cords visible or damaged.
How many Volkswagen Sharans are on UK roads?
There are 28,276 Volkswagen Sharans currently licensed on UK roads, with 4,940 on SORN.
What is the typical mileage of a Volkswagen Sharan at MOT?
The median mileage at MOT for a Volkswagen Sharan is 143,634 miles. The middle 50% of vehicles tested have between 106,790 and 162,641 miles.
Buying a used Sharan?
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 80.5% pass rate and an average repair bill of £128 when things go wrong, budget accordingly.
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.