2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Beetle common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Beetle fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 11.7% of its 16,561 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a rear fog lamp out at 9.2% of failures against 1.8% expected; structural corrosion at 8.3% of failures against 3.5% expected; worn suspension bushes at 11.7% of failures against 5.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 40,521 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 40.9% 16,561 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.4% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 59.3% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Beetle MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Beetle tests with that defect. Where we can compare it with cars of the same registration years, the marker shows what an average car of those ages records (12 of the 12 items below).
Most common reasons for failure
A test can fail for more than one defect, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Defect | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 11.7% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 11.1% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.6% |
| Rear fog lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.2% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 8.3% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.3% |
| Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength Suspension | 8.3% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.3% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 7.3% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.2% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.1% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 5.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
11.7% of failures 5.0% expected 2.3 times as often
Worn rubber bushes in a suspension arm, letting the arm move under load.
Perished or cracked rubber at the inner ends of the lower arms, visible with the wheel turned.
-
Broken coil spring
11.1% of failures 8.8% expected somewhat more often
A broken suspension spring, which usually snaps in the bottom coil and often fails on both sides within a year.
Look at each corner for a sagging ride height, and listen for a knock over speed bumps.
-
Engine management light on
10.6% of failures 6.0% expected 1.8 times as often
The engine management light is on, or has been disconnected. Either fails the test.
A cheap code reader on the diagnostic socket will say what the car has stored before you pay for a test.
-
Rear fog lamp out
9.2% of failures 1.8% expected 5.1 times as often
The rear fog lamp not working. It is tested even though it is rarely used.
Switch it on at the dashboard and check the lamp lights at the back.
-
Wiper blades that do not clear the screen
8.3% of failures 6.1% expected somewhat more often
Wiper blades that leave the windscreen smeared or streaked across the area the driver looks through.
Look for split or hardened rubber, and lift each blade to see whether it still sits flat.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
8.3% of failures 6.8% expected somewhat more often
The beam pattern points too high, too low, or in the wrong place, so it either dazzles others or lights too little road.
Nothing to do at the roadside, but a garage resets the aim in minutes; a sagging suspension corner or a heavy boot load can throw it out.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Beetle, on 45.6% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is noise, emissions and leaks, on 18.9% against 13.7% expected.
Failure categories
DVSA's own sections of the test. The marker is what cars of the same registration years record.
| Defect category | Share of failed tests |
|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 45.6% |
| Suspension | 40.2% |
| Brakes | 21.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 18.9% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 16.9% |
| Visibility | 15.3% |
| Tyres | 15.0% |
| Steering | 11.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
59.3% of Volkswagen Beetle tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Beetles, these are the items to ask about on a car you are viewing, because they are what the last tester expected to go next.
Most common advisories
Share of all tests, passes included.
| Advisory | Share of tests |
|---|---|
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 16.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 12.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 12.2% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 10.3% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 9.2% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.7% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 6.3% |
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 4.3% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.7% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 3.3% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 3.0% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Beetle gets older
A 2016 Volkswagen Beetle failed 28.9% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2003 one failed 50.0%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2016 Volkswagen Beetle 28.9% failed, from 2,290 tests
- Rear fog lamp out 23.3%
- Worn suspension bushes 21.8%
- Broken coil spring 17.7%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 7.7%
- Engine management light on 6.2%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 5.3%
2003 Volkswagen Beetle 50.0% failed, from 2,058 tests
- Engine management light on 15.6%
- Headlamp aim out of line 12.6%
- Brake light out 12.6%
- Split joint boot 11.7%
- Structural corrosion 11.6%
- Airbag light on 10.7%
Shares are of each year's failed tests. Every MOT a particular car has had, with the defects and advisories written at each test, is on GOV.UK's MOT history service from the registration, free.
Volkswagen Beetle problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Beetle?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 11.7% of failed Volkswagen Beetle tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 45.6% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Beetle fail its MOT?
40.9% of Volkswagen Beetle tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 40,521 tests of cars aged three and over. Allowing for the age and mileage of the cars tested, that gives it a UK Motoring Reliability Score of 44 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Beetle than on other cars?
Yes. “Rear fog lamp: not working” appears on 9.2% of its failures against 1.8% for cars of the same age, and “Component mounting prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength” appears on 8.3% of its failures against 3.5% for cars of the same age. Where an item is missing from the national figures for a year, we use the smallest share those figures show, so the comparison never overstates the difference.
Are these the same as breakdowns or known faults?
No. These are the items a tester recorded at the MOT, which covers condition and safety: lamps, brakes, tyres, suspension, corrosion and emissions. A gearbox that is unpleasant, an infotainment screen that has died, or a car that will not start on a cold morning are not part of the test, so they are not in these figures.
Where do the figures come from?
Every normal MOT test of a Volkswagen Beetle aged three and over in Great Britain in 2025, from DVSA's anonymised MOT results. Retests are excluded, and the same fault on more than one wheel counts once.
Data stories to read next
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOT defects and advisories | Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Derived statistics UK Motoring | 2025 | 40,521 MOT tests | 19 September 2026 |
- Shares for defects are of failed tests; shares for advisories are of all tests. A test can carry several defects, so shares add to more than 100%.
- The expected share is what an average car of the same registration years records, weighted by where this model’s failures fall. Where an item is outside the national figures for a year, the smallest share those figures show is used in its place, which is an upper bound, so the comparison never overstates a model’s problems. No expectation is published where less than 80% of the model’s failures can be compared.
- Great Britain only: DVSA does not run MOT testing in Northern Ireland. Cars under three years old are not tested.
- The descriptions of what each part does are general and the same on every model. Every figure comes from the MOT data.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.