2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Bora common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Bora fails its MOT is a sidelight out, on 14.7% of its 1,712 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: an indicator repeater out at 6.1% of failures against 1.5% expected; a steering fault at 6.6% of failures against 2.0% expected; a split joint boot at 13.0% of failures against 6.8% expected.
- Tests in 2025 4,358 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 39.3% 1,712 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 8.6% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 73.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Bora MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Bora 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 |
|---|---|
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 14.7% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 13.0% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.6% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9.2% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 8.9% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 8.1% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.2% |
| Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | 6.6% |
| Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension | 6.3% |
| Exhaust system: major leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 6.1% |
| Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.1% |
| Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering | 5.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Sidelight out
14.7% of failures 12.0% expected somewhat more often
A sidelight, also called a position lamp, not working. It marks the width of the car at night.
Walk round the car with the lights on and the hazards going; these are the cheapest failures to avoid.
-
Split joint boot
13.0% of failures 6.8% expected 1.9 times as often
A split rubber boot on a joint or driveshaft. The joint may still be sound, but dirt and water get in once the boot is open.
Turn the wheels to full lock and look behind them for greasy splits in the rubber concertina.
-
Headlamp aim out of line
9.6% of failures 9.2% expected about as expected
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.
-
Brake light out
9.2% of failures 9.1% expected about as expected
A brake light not working, from a bulb, a poor earth, or the switch on the pedal.
Reverse up to a wall or window at dusk and press the pedal to see all three lamps light.
-
Weak handbrake
8.9% of failures 6.7% expected somewhat more often
The handbrake cannot hold the car to the efficiency the test requires, usually from a stretched cable or seized rear callipers.
On a hill, the handbrake should hold the car with a couple of clicks left in the lever.
-
Worn suspension bushes
8.1% of failures 4.8% expected 1.7 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Bora, on 50.4% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 18.5% against 8.9% 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 | 50.4% |
| Suspension | 35.9% |
| Brakes | 31.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 28.2% |
| Steering | 18.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 16.8% |
| Tyres | 13.3% |
| Visibility | 11.6% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
73.0% of Volkswagen Bora tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Boras, 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 |
|---|---|
| Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes | 19.4% |
| Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres | 17.9% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 16.4% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 15.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 11.0% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 10.3% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 9.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 8.8% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 8.1% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 7.0% |
| Play in steering rack inner joint(s) Non-component advisories | 5.5% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 5.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
Volkswagen Bora problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Bora?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Position lamp: not working” is the most common: it appears on 14.7% of failed Volkswagen Bora tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 50.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Bora fail its MOT?
39.3% of Volkswagen Bora tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 4,358 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 54 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Bora than on other cars?
Yes. “Side repeaters: not working” appears on 6.1% of its failures against 1.5% for cars of the same age, and “Steering rack: gaiter missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 6.6% of its failures against 2.0% 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 Bora 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 | 4,358 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.