Car statistics by year

2001 Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen Passat cars first registered in 2001: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2001, so like is set against like.

A year of the Volkswagen Passat. “2001” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
770 MOT tests of 2001 Volkswagen Passat cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 58.8% All 2001 cars 61.5%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 155,100 miles; all 2001 cars 96,400
  • Left at the end of 2025 2,926 18.4% of the 15,880 at the end of 2014
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 8.4% All 2001 cars 8.3%
  • Tests with an advisory 72.3% All 2001 cars 66.9%
  • MOT tests in 2025 770 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2001 Volkswagen Passats do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 24 years old, 58.8% of 2001 Volkswagen Passat MOT tests were passed first time, against 61.5% for all cars first registered in 2001. 2001 Volkswagen Passats did worse than average for their age, by 2.7 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 56.6% of the time (all 2001 cars 59.7%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: Volkswagen Passat vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each Volkswagen Passat bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, Volkswagen Passat compared with all cars
First registered Volkswagen PassatAll cars
’01 58.8%61.5%
’02 61.2%59.7%
’03 59.3%58.9%
’04 60.3%57.9%
’05 60.8%57.7%
’06 57.1%56.9%
’07 59.0%57.3%
’08 60.7%57.0%
’09 62.6%58.2%
’10 62.8%59.3%
’11 64.4%61.5%
’12 64.7%63.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2001 Volkswagen Passat

Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt was the most common single reason a 2001 Volkswagen Passat failed, on 19.6% of about 300 failed tests. By area of the car, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment failed most often (46.4% of failed tests; all 2001 cars 45.5%). 8.4% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 8.3% for all cars first registered in 2001. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2001 Volkswagen Passat tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure 19.6%
Suspension arms: ball joint excessively worn Suspension 14.8%
Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 9.5%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 9.1%
Track rod end: ball joint has excessive play Steering 9.1%
Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 7.9%
Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension 7.9%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility 6.0%
Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes 5.7%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension 4.7%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: Volkswagen Passat vs all 2001 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2001 Volkswagen Passat MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2001 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 46.4%
Body, chassis, structure 33.4%
Suspension 33.4%
Brakes 28.1%
Steering 16.1%
Noise, emissions and leaks 14.8%
Visibility 12.6%
Tyres 10.7%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2001 Volkswagen Passat

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 72.3% of 2001 Volkswagen Passat tests had at least one (all 2001 cars 66.9%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2001 Volkswagen Passat tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 22.6%
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 20.6%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 17.9%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 14.3%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 10.3%
Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle 9.9%
Linkage pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 7.8%
Coil spring: corroded Suspension 6.8%
Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension 6.8%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material Brakes 6.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2001 Volkswagen Passat?

Half of the 2001 Volkswagen Passats tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 155,100 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 112,200 and a quarter more than 195,000. For all cars first registered in 2001, the middle figure was 96,400 miles, so 2001 Volkswagen Passats have been driven 60.9% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2001 Volkswagen Passat and all 2001 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2001 Volkswagen Passat 82,200 112,200 155,100 195,000 239,800 732
All 2001 cars 47,100 68,200 96,400 129,900 164,900 105,773
miles

Half of the 2001 Volkswagen Passats tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 155,100 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2001 Volkswagen Passats are left?

At the end of 2014, 15,880 2001 Volkswagen Passats were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 2,926 were: 686 licensed and 2,240 declared off the road (SORN). That is 18.4% still on the record, against 20.3% for all cars first registered in 2001.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2001 Volkswagen Passats on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2001 cars
Year end 2001 Volkswagen PassatAll 2001 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 85.8%85.8%
2016 72.5%72.2%
2017 57.9%58.3%
2018 46.1%47.5%
2019 37.8%39.6%
2020 32.2%34.3%
2021 27.1%29.7%
2022 24.1%26.7%
2023 22.1%24.5%
2024 19.9%21.9%
2025 18.4%20.3%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2001

None of the Volkswagen Passat’s 40 recalls in DVSA’s records has build dates that include 2001. 1 has no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2001 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2001 may have been built in 2000, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

Every Volkswagen Passat recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the Volkswagen Passat

22 years of the Volkswagen Passat, 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 2009 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (62.6% passed first time) and the 2001 cars worst (58.8%).

Volkswagen Passats by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2001 2,926 58.8% 61.5%
2002 4,122 61.2% 59.7%
2003 4,978 59.3% 58.9%
2004 4,909 60.3% 57.9%
2005 6,051 60.8% 57.7%
2006 7,105 57.1% 56.9%
2007 8,761 59.0% 57.3%
2008 9,147 60.7% 57.0%
2009 10,774 62.6% 58.2%
2010 10,883 62.8% 59.3%
2011 17,222 64.4% 61.5%
2012 14,055 64.7% 63.6%
2013 12,500 67.1% 66.0%
2014 18,643 15,412 69.4% 69.1%
2015 18,679 15,931 76.9% 72.6%
2016 17,300 15,501 79.4% 75.6%
2017 15,585 14,217 81.0% 79.1%
2018 11,669 10,775 84.1% 81.8%
2019 7,441 7,315 86.1% 84.4%
2020 6,057 5,817 88.4% 86.9%
2021 3,672 3,371 87.9% 88.4%
2022 2,462 2,312 87.1% 89.4%

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.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 770 MOT tests of 2001 Volkswagen Passat cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 2,926 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of Volkswagen Passat cars first registered in 2001; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2001.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • 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.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.