Skoda
1,530 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Karoq SE Drive Tsis pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 14.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.1%
Pass-after-fix
2.3%
Fail
5.4%
Avg miles
27,119
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,530 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.8 points across the cohorts — newer Karoq SE Drive Tsi examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
90.2%
Fail
7.1%
PRS
2.4%
Avg mileage at test
30,748 mi
Pass
93.1%
Fail
4.4%
PRS
2.2%
Avg mileage at test
25,177 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,530 MOT tests, the Karoq Se Drive Tsi returns 92.1% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Shock absorber damaged to the extent and tyre tread under the limit round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 27,119, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre seriously damaged
23 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
15 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
14 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
12 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
7 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.
Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures
£80–£140
If every one of this Karoq SE Drive Tsi's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.8-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Skoda Karoq SE Drive Tsi makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
93.1%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 93.1% — a 2.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 25,177 miles — roughly 6K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, has a serious fluid leak — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
90.2%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 90.2% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and has a serious fluid leak. Average mileage on test for this band is 30,748 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (93.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (90.2% pass). That's a 2.8-point spread across 533 older tests and 997 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.
Item 01 · Amazon UK
Digital tyre-tread depth gauge
Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.
Search Amazon UK
Item 02 · Amazon UK
Bosch Aerotwin wiper blades
Cheap wipers fail the test on smear streaks. Bosch Aerotwins last a winter and clear a screen properly.
Search Amazon UK
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Owner reports · Honest John
Verbatim faults logged by owners on honestjohn.co.uk over recent years. We didn't summarise — these are the words people typed in.
What's good
High quality interior with a premium feel. Very practical with a large boot. Quiet and comfortable on the move.
Another reader reported "kangarooing" problem in a Skoda Karoq petrol DSG 1.5 TSI, bought new in November 2018. The dealer has been saying that VAG will come up with a software solution sometime in the 2nd quart
Report that after a chipped windscreen of a Skoda Karoq was replaced, neither the windscreen replacement company nor the local supplying dealer could re-calibrate the dusk and rain sensors behind it and the car had to be taken to a VAG dealer 50 miles away for this to be done.
Complaint about jerky running of a Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI at low speed in 1st gear. "I have trouble driving it smoothly at low speed in 1st gear as it has a tendency to kangaroo hop until you accelerate away. I also notice that as you lift the clutch the revs increase without the accelerator being touched which I am told is a driver aid." Same complaint received about T-Roc 1.5 TSI, SEAT Arona 1.5 TSI and Golf 1.5 TSI. Fault can probably be eliminated by using 99 Ron Super petrol.
Report of accelerator failure twice, both at low speeds, in a new Skoda Karoq 2.0 TDI DSG. First time, reversing out of a parking slot normally and then driving for 40 yards to the main road to turn left. As soon as the car was in the main road the accelerator had no effect. Engine running but not enough to engage drive. Second time, a fortnight later, returning from a 30 mile drive stopped at gateway, stop/start stopped the engine, got out of the car did not turn the ignition off, opened the gate started to drive forwards, had to stop for a moment, tried to move off again, accelerator had no effect again same as the first time. On each occasion it was rectified by switching off via the button and restarting.
Report of clutch of June 2018 Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI Edition starting to fail after just 500 miles ("strong burning smell"). Owner called out Skoda support at 560 miles. They road tested and reported no fault with the clutch but the clutch 'material' needed time to bed in. At 1500 miles the clutch gave in and the car was towed to a Skoda dealer. Owner told that Skoda will not pay the £1,800 bill as there was excessive use of the clutch.
Can get all weather tyres such as Cross Climates in base model 215/60 R16 and SE 215/55 R17, but not in SEL 225/50R18 and Edition 225/45R19. Skoda needs to change its wheel policy to allow buyers of SELs to have their cars on 215/55 R17 tyres.
Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 6 reports indexed
Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.
If you own a Karoq SE Drive Tsi and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.
