Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 281,205 tests

Pass rate climbs 11.4 points across the cohorts — newer Caddy examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 235,485

Pass

74.3%

Fail

20.3%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

122,925 mi

2018–2020 cohort 43,785

Pass

83.0%

Fail

12.4%

PRS

4.1%

Avg mileage at test

63,633 mi

2021+ cohort 1,935

Pass

85.7%

Fail

10.3%

PRS

3.3%

Avg mileage at test

27,533 mi

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

Generations on file · 4

Volkswagen Caddy · UK market

Photos: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA / CC BY / public domain.

The picture

Volkswagen Caddy: mixed MOT record across 183,438 tests

The Volkswagen Caddy is a diesel-powered van sold in the UK market across multiple generations, covering a broad date range in the test population.

MOT data from 183,438 tests puts this van on a 74.1% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 106,637 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

Buyers weighing up a used Caddy should treat the failure breakdown as a pre-purchase checklist. The pass rate is reasonable, but the gap between first attempt and a clean sheet narrows with age and mileage.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 13–22

Below the fleet average — generally reasonable to insure. 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 →

13–22

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources

15,118 occurrences · 5.4% of tests
02

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

14,106 occurrences · 5.0% of tests
03

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

8,543 occurrences · 3.0% of tests
04

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

6,576 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
05

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

5,857 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
06

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

5,659 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
07

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

4,362 occurrences · 1.6% of tests
08

A tyre cords visible or damaged

4,187 occurrences · 1.5% of tests
09

Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose

3,464 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
10

A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

3,349 occurrences · 1.2% 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 3 failures

£148–£370

If every one of this Caddy'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 11.4-point gap between bands means the year you buy Volkswagen Caddy has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

85.7%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 85.7% — a 11.4-point improvement. Tests in this band average 27,533 miles — roughly 95K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has ply or cords exposed, 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. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

74.3%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 74.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 85.7% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and pin or bush excessively worn. Average mileage on test for this band is 122,925 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (85.7% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (74.3% pass). That's a 11.4-point spread across 235,485 older tests and 1,935 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

H7 / W21W bulb pack

A spare-bulb kit lives in the boot. Test morning is not the time to find your stop-lamp's gone.

Search Amazon UK

Item 02 · 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

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Buying or keeping a Caddy?

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 Caddy 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.