2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Scirocco common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Scirocco fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 15.4% of its 14,497 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 4 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: a split joint boot at 7.1% of failures against 3.2% expected; a weak handbrake at 7.3% of failures against 4.2% expected; the engine management light on at 8.8% of failures against 5.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 45,864 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 31.6% 14,497 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 9.7% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 58.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Scirocco MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Scirocco 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 |
|---|---|
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 15.4% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 9.9% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.8% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8.7% |
| Parking brake efficiency below requirements Brakes | 7.3% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 7.1% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 6.8% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 6.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 5.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.0% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 4.8% |
| Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid Visibility | 4.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
15.4% of failures 10.6% expected 1.5 times as 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
9.9% of failures 7.9% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Engine management light on
8.8% of failures 5.1% expected 1.7 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.
-
Sidelight out
8.7% of failures 9.8% 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.
-
Weak handbrake
7.3% of failures 4.2% expected 1.7 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.
-
Split joint boot
7.1% of failures 3.2% expected 2.2 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.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Scirocco, on 40.9% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is tyres, on 28.2% against 21.2% 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 |
|---|---|
| Suspension | 40.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 35.1% |
| Tyres | 28.2% |
| Brakes | 24.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 12.0% |
| Visibility | 10.8% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 6.1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.2% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
58.5% of Volkswagen Scirocco tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Sciroccos, 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 | 20.5% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 12.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 10.6% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 9.2% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.9% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 7.1% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 6.5% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 5.9% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 5.7% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 5.4% |
| Service brake performance: binding but not excessively Brakes | 2.9% |
| Linkage ball joint has slight play Suspension | 2.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Scirocco gets older
A 2017 Volkswagen Scirocco failed 19.8% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2009 one failed 39.1%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2017 Volkswagen Scirocco 19.8% failed, from 4,600 tests
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.8%
- Broken coil spring 10.2%
- Worn brake pads 9.4%
- Cut tyre 8.1%
- Leaking damper 7.6%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 7.6%
2009 Volkswagen Scirocco 39.1% failed, from 4,811 tests
- Broken coil spring 16.5%
- Engine management light on 13.4%
- Sidelight out 12.8%
- Split joint boot 9.5%
- Weak handbrake 9.3%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 8.3%
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 Scirocco problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Scirocco?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 15.4% of failed Volkswagen Scirocco tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 40.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Scirocco fail its MOT?
31.6% of Volkswagen Scirocco tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 45,864 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 51 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Scirocco than on other cars?
Yes. “Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt” appears on 7.1% of its failures against 3.2% for cars of the same age, and “Parking brake efficiency below requirements” appears on 7.3% of its failures against 4.2% 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 Scirocco 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 | 45,864 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.