How many Volkswagen Golfs are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 875,265 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain900,884−2.1% on a year earlier
Declared SORN122,944Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202575.0%Cars of the same ages 70.7%
Rank by number licensedNo. 3of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year20171.02 million licensed
Average annual mileage7,247miles a year
How many Volkswagen Golfs are left in Great Britain?
There were 900,884 Volkswagen Golfs licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 122,944 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 11.7% fewer than the peak of 1.02 million in 2017.
Volkswagen Golfs licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2017 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
18 versions of the Volkswagen Golf have their own page.
The figures above include every version; each version page covers only the cars DVLA records
under that version’s name.
Versions of the Volkswagen Golf with their own page
In 2025, 75.0% of Volkswagen Golf MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Volkswagen Golfs tested pass 70.7% of the time, so the Volkswagen Golf does better than average for its age, by 4.3 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 74.3%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volkswagen Golf vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
3 years
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
Volkswagen Golf
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Volkswagen Golf compared with all cars
Suspension is the most common reason a Volkswagen Golf fails its MOT,
appearing on 37.6% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
7.1% of Volkswagen Golf tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Volkswagen Golf MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Volkswagen Golf MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Volkswagen Golf failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Coil spring: fractured or broken”, on 11.7% of 218,900 failed tests.
55.0% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Volkswagen Golf tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension
11.7%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
8.7%
Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension
7.7%
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure
7.0%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks
7.0%
Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes
6.7%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres
6.5%
Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension
6.1%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres
5.4%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
32 years of the Volkswagen Golf, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2014 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (79.0% passed first time) and the 1988 cars worst (69.2%).
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Volkswagen Golf annual mileage
The average Volkswagen Golf covers 7,247 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
5k
10k
8,503
4–5 years
8,105
6–7 years
7,766
8–10 years
7,290
11–14 years
6,453
15–19 years
4,710
20+ years
Average annual mileage of a Volkswagen Golf by vehicle age
Of the 959,230 Volkswagen Golfs licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 28.6% have an engine of 1,901cc to 2,000cc, and 21.9% have an engine of 1,501cc to 1,600cc. The share with an engine of 1,401cc to 1,500cc has grown from 0.8% in 2014 to 17.0%. Diesels made up 56.0% of those licensed in 2014 and 43.5% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Volkswagen Golfs licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
1,901cc to 2,000cc 274,411 licensed
28.6%
1,501cc to 1,600cc 209,673 licensed
21.9%
1,301cc to 1,400cc 181,586 licensed
18.9%
1,401cc to 1,500cc 162,971 licensed
17.0%
1,801cc to 1,900cc 39,862 licensed
4.2%
901cc to 1,000cc 21,942 licensed
2.3%
1,601cc to 1,700cc 17,019 licensed
1.8%
2,001cc to 2,100cc 14,563 licensed
1.5%
1,701cc to 1,800cc 7,597 licensed
0.8%
Other sizes 29,606 licensed
3.1%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
1,901–2,000cc
Diesel
182,047
19.0%
1,501–1,600cc
Diesel
179,373
18.7%
1,301–1,400cc
Petrol
163,796
17.1%
1,401–1,500cc
Petrol
121,821
12.7%
1,901–2,000cc
Petrol
92,360
9.6%
1,801–1,900cc
Diesel
38,617
4.0%
1,401–1,500cc
Hybrid
33,519
3.5%
1,501–1,600cc
Petrol
30,296
3.2%
901–1,000cc
Petrol
20,071
2.1%
1,301–1,400cc
Plug-in hybrid
17,769
1.9%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
Volkswagen Golfs licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Diesel
Hybrid
Plug-in hybrid
2014
44.0%
56.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2015
42.9%
56.9%
0.0%
0.1%
2016
42.2%
57.4%
0.0%
0.3%
2017
42.7%
56.8%
0.0%
0.5%
2018
43.7%
55.4%
0.0%
0.8%
2019
44.8%
53.9%
0.0%
0.8%
2020
45.6%
52.4%
0.4%
0.9%
2021
46.3%
51.0%
0.9%
1.1%
2022
47.0%
49.6%
1.4%
1.3%
2023
47.7%
47.9%
2.0%
1.7%
2024
48.7%
45.8%
2.8%
2.0%
2025
49.4%
43.5%
3.7%
2.6%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
Volkswagen Golf fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Volkswagen Golf from 2000, when the data begins, and still lists it. On the WLTP test (listings 2025 to 2026), official combined fuel economy for its petrol, diesel and petrol hybrid versions ranges from 33.2 to 64.2 mpg, with CO2 of 114 to 192 g/km; plug-in hybrid versions are rated at 941.6 mpg (weighted). On the older NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol and diesel versions ranges from 24.4 to 88.3 mpg, with CO2 of 85 to 278 g/km; electric versions have an official range of 118 to 186 miles; plug-in hybrid versions are rated at 156.9 to 166.2 mpg (weighted).
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Engine and fuel
Combined mpg
CO2 g/km
Listed
Euro standard
Versions
1.5 petrol
47.1–53.3
120–137
2025–2026
Euro 6
10
2.0 petrol
33.2–40.4
159–192
2025–2026
Euro 6
7
2.0 diesel
55.4–64.2
114–133
2025–2026
Euro 6
6
1.5 petrol hybrid
49.6–56.5
114–131
2025–2026
Euro 6
11
1.5 plug-in hybrid
941.6
6–7
2025–2026
Euro 6
3
Older NEDC figures, listed 2000 to 2018 (15 engine and fuel groups)
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2000 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
NEDC figures (in VCA’s data until September 2018) and WLTP figures (from the 2019 guide)
come from different tests, so they are shown separately and should not be compared.
Plug-in hybrid figures are VCA’s weighted values, which count driving on battery power as
well as on fuel.
Electric cars produce no exhaust CO2; range and miles per kWh are VCA’s official figures.
VCA’s data has no Volkswagen versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the Volkswagen Golf was on sale.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “Golf”, “Golf Estate”, “Golf Plus”, “Golf Cabriolet”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Volkswagen Golf safety recalls
DVSA lists 43 safety recalls for the Volkswagen Golf since 1992. The most recent was launched on 22 August 2025.
Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement
Launched 22 August 2025DVSA recall R/2025/357Manufacturer ref. DS69
Defect
Urgent Safety Warning – Do Not Drive Your Vehicle Our information shows your vehicle was originally allocated to or used for an extended period of time in a region with a climate zone considered to as HIGH RISK. Issue: The front airbag in your VW vehicle contains an ageing inflator propellant that may explode when deployed due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. Risk: If the airbag inflator explodes metal fragments may be ejected causing life-threatening or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle.
Remedy
The front airbag must be replaced. Immediate Action Required: Stop driving your vehicle immediately. Contact the Takata Stop Drive helpline at 0113 526 9646 (MONDAY to FRIDAY 9:00AM to 5:00PM to arrange your recall service.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Volkswagen Golf. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
