2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Tiguan common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Tiguan fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 14.5% of its 47,561 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: worn suspension bushes at 11.8% of failures against 3.9% expected; the engine management light on at 9.6% of failures against 4.9% expected; a broken coil spring at 14.5% of failures against 8.1% expected.
- Tests in 2025 255,395 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 18.6% 47,561 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 6.1% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 49.7% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Tiguan MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Tiguan 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 (11 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 | 14.5% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 13.3% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension | 11.8% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 9.9% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 9.6% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 7.7% |
| Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | 6.2% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 5.8% |
| Shock absorbers: serious fluid leak Suspension | 3.7% |
| Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.3% |
| Suspension arm: corroded and seriously weakened Suspension | 3.2% |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Suspension | 3.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
14.5% of failures 8.1% expected 1.8 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
13.3% of failures 9.2% 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.
-
Worn suspension bushes
11.8% of failures 3.9% expected 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.
-
Worn brake pads
9.9% of failures 7.6% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Engine management light on
9.6% of failures 4.9% expected 2 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.
-
Cut tyre
7.7% of failures 7.0% expected about as expected
A cut in the tyre deep or long enough to reach the structure underneath, usually from a kerb or debris.
Run a hand round the inner and outer walls of each tyre, which is where kerbing shows.
Which parts of the car fail
Suspension is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Tiguan, on 38.4% of failed tests. That is also where it differs most from cars of the same registration years, which record 27.0%.
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 | 38.4% |
| Tyres | 30.4% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.8% |
| Brakes | 17.7% |
| Visibility | 10.6% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.6% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
49.7% of Volkswagen Tiguan tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Tiguans, 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% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 11.4% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 10.5% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 8.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 7.7% |
| Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension | 4.9% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 4.3% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 3.4% |
| Nail in tyre Non-component advisories | 2.9% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.3% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 1.7% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Tiguan gets older
A 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan failed 11.7% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2008 one failed 39.3%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2022 Volkswagen Tiguan 11.7% failed, from 19,436 tests
- Worn brake pads 24.0%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 19.0%
- Wiper blades that do not clear the screen 18.7%
- Cut tyre 15.2%
- Leaking damper 4.5%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 3.9%
2008 Volkswagen Tiguan 39.3% failed, from 3,667 tests
- Broken coil spring 20.0%
- Engine management light on 16.3%
- Sidelight out 11.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.0%
- Worn suspension bushes 10.7%
- Worn steering or suspension joint 8.1%
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 Tiguan problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Tiguan?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 14.5% of failed Volkswagen Tiguan tests. Across categories, suspension is the area that most often fails one, on 38.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Tiguan fail its MOT?
18.6% of Volkswagen Tiguan tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 255,395 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 60 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Tiguan than on other cars?
Yes. “Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn” appears on 11.8% of its failures against 3.9% for cars of the same age, and “Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction” appears on 9.6% of its failures against 4.9% 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 Tiguan 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 | 255,395 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.