2025 MOT results
Volkswagen Touareg common problems
The most common reason a Volkswagen Touareg fails its MOT is a broken coil spring, on 28.4% of its 8,356 failed tests in 2025. Against other cars of the same age, 3 faults stand out: a rear fog lamp out at 11.5% of failures against 1.3% expected; a broken coil spring at 28.4% of failures against 8.9% expected; the airbag light on at 3.8% of failures against 1.5% expected.
- Tests in 2025 36,773 Cars aged three and over
- Failed first time 22.7% 8,356 tests
- Found a dangerous defect 5.0% Unsafe to drive away
- Ended with an advisory 45.0% A problem to watch, not a failure
What fails a Volkswagen Touareg MOT
Each bar is the share of failed Volkswagen Touareg 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 | 28.4% |
| Rear fog lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 11.5% |
| Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | 8.2% |
| Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks | 7.4% |
| Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | 6.5% |
| Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.8% |
| Stop lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.7% |
| Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres | 4.7% |
| Brake pads: less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | 4.6% |
| Headlamp aim: too high Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.9% |
| SRS malfunction indicator lamp: warning lamp indicates a fault Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 3.8% |
| Headlamp: not working on dipped beam Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 3.5% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
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Broken coil spring
28.4% of failures 8.9% expected 3.2 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.
-
Rear fog lamp out
11.5% of failures 1.3% expected 8.8 times as often
The rear fog lamp not working. It is tested even though it is rarely used.
Switch it on at the dashboard and check the lamp lights at the back.
-
Tyre worn below the legal limit
8.2% of failures 8.3% 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.
-
Engine management light on
7.4% of failures 5.5% expected somewhat more 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.
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Cut tyre
6.5% of failures 5.1% expected somewhat more often
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.
-
Sidelight out
4.8% of failures 8.0% expected 1.7 times less often
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.
Which parts of the car fail
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails a Volkswagen Touareg, on 38.4% of failed tests. The widest gap against cars of the same registration years is suspension, on 36.9% against 32.4% 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 | 38.4% |
| Suspension | 36.9% |
| Tyres | 22.3% |
| Brakes | 18.0% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 10.2% |
| Visibility | 9.4% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 6.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 5.1% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What testers warn about
45.0% of Volkswagen Touareg tests ended with at least one advisory: a fault the tester found that did not fail the test. On Volkswagen Touaregs, 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 | 18.2% |
| Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes | 9.6% |
| Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.1% |
| Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes | 6.0% |
| Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension | 4.3% |
| Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes | 2.9% |
| Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres | 2.9% |
| Coil spring: corroded Suspension | 2.4% |
| Sub-frame: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.4% |
| Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories | 2.2% |
| Suspension arm: corroded but not seriously weakened Suspension | 2.0% |
| Registration plates: deteriorated but not likely to be misread Identification of the vehicle | 2.0% |
Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated
What changes as a Volkswagen Touareg gets older
A 2019 Volkswagen Touareg failed 16.0% of its MOT tests in 2025; a 2013 one failed 21.4%. What fails changes as much as how often, and these are the two years themselves rather than an average across them.
2019 Volkswagen Touareg 16.0% failed, from 2,858 tests
- Broken coil spring 47.3%
- Cut tyre 10.5%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 10.1%
- Worn suspension bushes 5.7%
- Engine management light on 5.0%
- Tyre worn through to the cords 4.8%
2013 Volkswagen Touareg 21.4% failed, from 2,268 tests
- Broken coil spring 44.9%
- Tyre worn below the legal limit 11.9%
- Worn brake pads 6.4%
- Cut tyre 5.6%
- Headlamp aim set too high 5.1%
- Lighting fault 3.9%
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 Touareg problems: common questions
What is the most common problem with a Volkswagen Touareg?
Of the faults that fail an MOT, “Coil spring: fractured or broken” is the most common: it appears on 28.4% of failed Volkswagen Touareg tests. Across categories, lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the area that most often fails one, on 38.4% of failed tests.
How often does a Volkswagen Touareg fail its MOT?
22.7% of Volkswagen Touareg tests in 2025 were not passed first time, from 36,773 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 64 out of 100, where 50 is as expected.
Does anything fail more often on a Volkswagen Touareg than on other cars?
Yes. “Rear fog lamp: not working” appears on 11.5% of its failures against 1.3% for cars of the same age, and “Coil spring: fractured or broken” appears on 28.4% of its failures against 8.9% 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 Touareg 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 | 36,773 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.