Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 81,562 tests

Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Karoq examples track each other at the test bay.

Pre-2018 cohort 7,475

Pass

89.8%

Fail

7.5%

PRS

2.3%

Avg mileage at test

46,891 mi

2018–2020 cohort 55,982

Pass

90.7%

Fail

7.2%

PRS

1.8%

Avg mileage at test

38,785 mi

2021+ cohort 18,105

Pass

89.6%

Fail

7.3%

PRS

2.6%

Avg mileage at test

25,808 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

Skoda Karoq: solid MOT record across 42,020 tests

The Skoda Karoq is a petrol-powered car sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 42,020 tests puts this car on an 90.6% first-time pass rate, well above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 32,044 miles. The most common fail item is damaged tyre sidewall or structure, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

Honest John owner records point to premature clutch wear as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

For used buyers, the Karoq's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 18–28

Around the UK fleet average for insurance cost. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

18–28

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

Hide wear items to see the model's real defects.

01

A tyre seriously damaged

1,246 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
02

Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

1,097 occurrences · 1.3% of tests
03

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

783 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
04

A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

736 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
05

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

703 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
06

Wiper blade defective

464 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
07

A tyre cords visible or damaged

445 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
08

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

380 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
09

Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

294 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
10

A tyre seriously damaged

232 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

£140–£255

If every one of this Karoq'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 →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 1.1-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Skoda Karoq makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.

Best band to buy

90.7%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 90.7% — a 1.1-point improvement. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band.

Band to be cautious about

89.6%

2021+ registration

On the 2021-on band, the data shows a 89.6% pass rate against a fleet average of 90.7% 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 25,808 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (90.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2021+ (89.6% pass). That's a 1.1-point spread across 18,105 older tests and 55,982 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

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

Brake pad measurement gauge

Testers fail pads under 1.5mm. A wear gauge tells you if you've got two months left or two weeks.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Hycote

Hycote Skoda Pacific Blue Double Acrylic Spray Paint 150ml

£6.59

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equip

Equip ELF083 Skoda Estelle/105-135 Petrol Locking Fuel Cap

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Equip ELF072 Skoda Favorit Petrol Locking Fuel Cap

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Autotek

Autotek Skoda Race Blue 300ml

£14.29

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Owner reports · Honest John

What owners actually report.

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.

Recent owner-reported faults

12 Mar 2019
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
5 Jan 2019
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.
29 Dec 2018
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.
2 Nov 2018
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.
17 Sep 2018
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.
1 Jan 0001
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

Recall history

6 UK recalls on record.

The Karoq has 6 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a Karoq?

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 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.