2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Polo common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Polo fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 9.2% of its 205,741 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a worn steering or suspension joint at 6.6% of failures against 1.4% expected; worn suspension bushes at 9.2% of failures against 4.7% expected; a split joint boot at 5.7% of failures against 3.0% expected.
- Tests in 2025 631,418 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 32.6% 205,741 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.9% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 53.9% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Polo MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Polo 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 | 9.2% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.6% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 7.3% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 7.0% |
| Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Steering | 6.6% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 6.2% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 6.2% |
| Headlamp aim: projected beam image is obviously incorrect Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.1% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 5.7% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.7% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 5.6% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 5.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
9.2% of failures 4.7% expected 2 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.
-
Sidelight out
7.6% of failures 8.9% expected about as expected
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.
-
Broken coil spring
7.3% of failures 9.0% expected somewhat less 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
7.0% of failures 8.0% expected about as expected
A tyre worn past the 1.6mm legal minimum across the middle three quarters of the tread.
A 20p coin in the main grooves: if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyre is close to the limit.
-
Worn steering or suspension joint
6.6% of failures 1.4% expected 4.7 times as often
Play in a steering or suspension joint, where a worn ball and socket lets the wheel move where it should not.
A knock at low speed over rough ground, or vague steering, is the usual warning.
-
Weak handbrake
6.2% of failures 4.1% expected 1.5 times as 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Polo, on 38.7% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is steering, on 10.9% against 7.1% 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 | 38.7% |
| Suspension | 34.4% |
| Brakes | 24.8% |
| Tyres | 18.7% |
| Visibility | 15.5% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 15.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 14.0% |
| Steering | 10.9% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
53.9% of Volkswagen Polo tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Polos, 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 | 18.4% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 11.4% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 9.1% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.4% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 6.0% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 4.9% |
| Exhaust system: minor leak of exhaust gases Body, chassis, structure | 4.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.4% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.4% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.9% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Polo gets older
A 2022 Volkswagen Polo failed 8.4% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2001 one failed 44.9%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Volkswagen Polo 8.4% failed, from 22,469 tests
- Cut tyre 21.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 12.6%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.2%
- Worn brake pads 8.6%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.4%
- Faulty seat belt 6.6%
2001 Volkswagen Polo 44.9% failed, from 3,114 tests
- Split joint boot 16.5%
- Headlamp aim out of line 13.3%
- Sidelight out 12.8%
- Exhaust leak 10.6%
- Brake light out 9.4%
- Engine management light on 8.5%
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 Polo problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Polo?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 9.2% of failed Volkswagen Polo tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 38.7% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Polo fail its MOT?
32.6% of Volkswagen Polo tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 631,418 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 45 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Polo than on other cars?
Yes. “Track rod end: ball joint dust cover excessively damaged or deteriorated so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 6.6% of its failures against 1.4% for cars of the same age, and “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 9.2% of its failures against 4.7% 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 Polo 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 | 631,418 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.