MOT cost .
Volkswagen Crafter
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

Volkswagen

Crafter

109,256 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Crafters pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 4.6 points below the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — buyers should expect more first-time fails than the typical UK car.

Pass

72.9%

Pass-after-fix

5.2%

Fail

20.9%

Avg miles

125,440

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

Van & commercial →

Trim variants

Cr35 Trendline TDI 79.8% 11,766 Cr35 Startline TDI 75.8% 7,628

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 109,256 tests

Pass rate climbs 8.8 points across the cohorts — newer Crafter examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 75,526

Pass

70.4%

Fail

23.1%

PRS

5.5%

Avg mileage at test

142,076 mi

2018–2020 cohort 26,375

Pass

78.3%

Fail

16.1%

PRS

4.8%

Avg mileage at test

95,865 mi

2021+ cohort 7,355

Pass

79.2%

Fail

15.9%

PRS

4.4%

Avg mileage at test

62,230 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Volkswagen Crafter · UK market

Volkswagen Crafter 2006-2016

2006–2016

Volkswagen Crafter 2016-now

2016–now

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

The picture

Volkswagen Crafter: mixed MOT record across 68,620 tests

The Volkswagen Crafter 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 68,620 tests puts this van on a 71.5% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 123,496 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement.

The Crafter's pass rate warrants caution in the used market. Factor in likely first-test remedial work on the common failure items and get a pre-purchase inspection that covers the specific items this van trips on most.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 28–38

Above average — worth comparing quotes before buying. 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 →

28–38

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

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

    7,882 occurrences · 7.2% of tests

  2. 02

    Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement

    3,919 occurrences · 3.6% of tests

  3. 03

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

    3,335 occurrences · 3.1% of tests

  4. 04

    Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded

    3,052 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  5. 05

    Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction

    2,520 occurrences · 2.3% of tests

  6. 06

    Parking brake efficiency less than 50% of the required value

    1,937 occurrences · 1.8% of tests

  7. 07

    A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light

    1,823 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  8. 08

    Reflector defective or damaged by up to 50% of the reflecting surface

    1,805 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  9. 09

    Obligatory mirror or device slightly damaged or loose

    1,731 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  10. 10

    Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen

    1,512 occurrences · 1.4% 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

£48–£125

If every one of this Crafter'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 8.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Volkswagen Crafter has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

79.2%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 79.2% — a 8.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 62,230 miles — roughly 80K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, constant velocity boot split or insecure, no… — 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

70.4%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 70.4% pass rate against a fleet average of 79.2% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, efficiency below requirements, and excessively corroded. Average mileage on test for this band is 142,076 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (79.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (70.4% pass). That's a 8.8-point spread across 75,526 older tests and 7,355 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Shadow Blue Metallic 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Shadow Blue Metallic 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Reflex Silver Metallic 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Reflex Silver Metallic 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Black 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Black 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Mars Red 12.5ml

Hycote

Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Mars Red 12.5ml

£6.59

View at My Motor World →

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.

Get a quote →

Buying or keeping a Crafter?

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 Crafter 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.