How many Volkswagen Ups are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 127,323 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain128,973+0.3% on a year earlier
Declared SORN1,625Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202579.5%Cars of the same ages 73.4%
Rank by number licensedNo. 74of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year2025129,104 licensed
Average annual mileage5,097miles a year
How many Volkswagen Ups are left in Great Britain?
There were 128,973 Volkswagen Ups licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 1,625 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 0.1% fewer than the peak of 129,104 in 2025.
In 2025, 79.5% of Volkswagen Up MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the Volkswagen Ups tested pass 73.4% of the time, so the Volkswagen Up does better than average for its age, by 6.1 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 79.7%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: Volkswagen Up vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
3 years
4–5 years
6–7 years
8–10 years
11–14 years
Volkswagen Up
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, Volkswagen Up compared with all cars
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment is the most common reason a Volkswagen Up fails its MOT,
appearing on 34.9% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
4.4% of Volkswagen Up tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed Volkswagen Up MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Most common Volkswagen Up MOT defects and advisories
The single most common reason a Volkswagen Up failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn”, on 7.4% of 26,097 failed tests.
42.5% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed Volkswagen Up tests, 2025
Defect
Share of failed tests
Suspension arms: pin or bush excessively worn Suspension
7.4%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility
7.1%
Headlamp aim: too low Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
7.0%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres
7.0%
Service brake performance: excessively binding Brakes
6.8%
Position lamp: not working Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
6.5%
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
6.2%
Catalyst emissions: lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits Noise, emissions and leaks
5.4%
Coil spring: fractured or broken Suspension
5.2%
Fuel cap or sealing device: ineffective Body, chassis, structure
11 years of the Volkswagen Up, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2012 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (73.9% passed first time) and the 2016 cars worst (76.3%).
Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left:
licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025.
Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great
Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.
Volkswagen Up annual mileage
The average Volkswagen Up covers 5,097 miles a year,
worked out from odometer readings at consecutive MOT tests.
Average annual mileage by age
0
2k
4k
6k
5,023
4–5 years
5,221
6–7 years
5,062
8–10 years
5,085
11–14 years
Average annual mileage of a Volkswagen Up by vehicle age
Of the 131,635 Volkswagen Ups licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 97.7% have an engine of 901cc to 1,000cc. Electric made up 0.2% of those licensed in 2014 and 2.3% in 2025.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
Volkswagen Ups licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
901cc to 1,000cc 128,546 licensed
97.7%
No engine (electric) 2,998 licensed
2.3%
Other sizes 91 licensed
0.1%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Volkswagen Ups licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year
Petrol
Electric
2014
99.8%
0.2%
2015
99.8%
0.2%
2016
99.8%
0.2%
2017
99.8%
0.2%
2018
99.8%
0.2%
2019
99.8%
0.2%
2020
99.6%
0.4%
2021
98.6%
1.4%
2022
97.9%
2.1%
2023
97.7%
2.3%
2024
97.7%
2.3%
2025
97.7%
2.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN
excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page.
How we use engine sizes.
Volkswagen Up fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the Volkswagen Up from 2012 to 2018. On the NEDC test (listings 2012 to 2018), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 58.9 to 68.9 mpg, with CO2 of 95 to 110 g/km; electric versions have an official range of 99 miles.
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2012 to 2018
Official NEDC figures by engine and fuel, listed 2012 to 2018
Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in
real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
Electric cars produce no exhaust CO2; range and miles per kWh are VCA’s official figures.
VCA’s data has no Volkswagen versions for 2019 to 2024, so the years listed may leave out years the Volkswagen Up was on sale.
Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in
VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was
listed.
Matched from VCA’s model names “UP”, “VW UP”. How we use VCA’s figures.
Volkswagen Up safety recalls
DVSA lists 8 safety recalls for the Volkswagen Up since 1992, the first in 2013. The most recent was launched on 22 August 2025.
Takata front drivers or passenger airbag replacement
Launched 22 August 2025DVSA recall R/2025/357Manufacturer ref. DS69
Defect
Urgent Safety Warning – Do Not Drive Your Vehicle Our information shows your vehicle was originally allocated to or used for an extended period of time in a region with a climate zone considered to as HIGH RISK. Issue: The front airbag in your VW vehicle contains an ageing inflator propellant that may explode when deployed due to long-term exposure to heat and humidity. Risk: If the airbag inflator explodes metal fragments may be ejected causing life-threatening or fatal injuries to anyone in the vehicle.
Remedy
The front airbag must be replaced. Immediate Action Required: Stop driving your vehicle immediately. Contact the Takata Stop Drive helpline at 0113 526 9646 (MONDAY to FRIDAY 9:00AM to 5:00PM to arrange your recall service.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every Volkswagen Up. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
