2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Sharan common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Sharan fails its MOT is worn suspension bushes, on 14.5% of its 8,514 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 5 faults stand out, the widest gaps being: worn suspension bushes at 14.5% of failures against 4.4% expected; an indicator repeater out at 4.2% of failures against 1.5% expected; a split joint boot at 5.6% of failures against 2.5% expected.
- Tests in 2025 35,031 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 24.3% 8,514 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 7.8% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 52.5% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Sharan MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Sharan 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 | 14.5% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 11.1% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.3% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 9.4% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.2% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 6.5% |
| Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension | 6.3% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 5.6% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 5.6% |
| Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure | 4.5% |
| Side repeaters: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.2% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
-
Worn suspension bushes
14.5% of failures 4.4% expected 3.3 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.
-
Tyre worn through to the cords
11.1% of failures 5.0% expected 2.2 times as often
The tyre is worn or damaged far enough to expose the cords underneath, which is a dangerous defect.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
-
Engine management light on
10.3% of failures 5.3% expected 1.9 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.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
9.4% of failures 8.6% 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.
-
Sidelight out
7.2% of failures 7.1% 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.
-
Worn brake pads
6.5% of failures 7.2% expected about as expected
Friction material worn under 1.5mm, thinner than the point most manufacturers call the limit.
Look through the wheel spokes at the pad against the disc; wear indicators squeal before they get this far.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Sharan, on 36.9% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 30.6%.
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 | 36.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 32.2% |
| Tyres | 29.7% |
| Brakes | 17.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 13.3% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 11.5% |
| Visibility | 10.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 4.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
52.5% of Volkswagen Sharan tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Sharans, 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 | 22.4% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 15.0% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 8.6% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 8.0% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 5.2% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.8% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.8% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 3.7% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 3.6% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 3.3% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 2.6% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Sharan gets older
A 2019 Volkswagen Sharan failed 14.2% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2011 one failed 32.5%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Volkswagen Sharan 14.2% failed, from 6,541 tests
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 13.2%
- Worn suspension bushes 11.5%
- Engine management light on 11.4%
- Worn brake pads 10.9%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 10.4%
- Cut tyre 7.1%
2011 Volkswagen Sharan 32.5% failed, from 2,079 tests
- Worn suspension bushes 16.4%
- Engine management light on 12.7%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 12.1%
- Split joint boot 10.7%
- Indicator repeater out 9.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 9.9%
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 Sharan problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Sharan?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” is the most common: it appears on 14.5% of failed Volkswagen Sharan tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 36.9% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Sharan fail its MOT?
24.3% of Volkswagen Sharan tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 35,031 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 52 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Sharan than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 14.5% of its failures against 4.4% for cars of the same age, and “Side repeaters: not working” appears on 4.2% of its failures against 1.5% 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 Sharan 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 | 35,031 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.