Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 63,399 tests

Pass rate climbs 9.8 points across the cohorts — newer Sharan examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 45,348

Pass

76.1%

Fail

18.6%

PRS

4.5%

Avg mileage at test

117,339 mi

2018–2020 cohort 15,078

Pass

87.3%

Fail

8.9%

PRS

3.3%

Avg mileage at test

80,547 mi

2021+ cohort 2,973

Pass

85.8%

Fail

11.6%

PRS

2.0%

Avg mileage at test

26,761 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Volkswagen Sharan · UK market

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

The picture

Volkswagen Sharan: mixed MOT record across 44,119 tests

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

MOT data from 44,119 tests puts this car on a 77.8% first-time pass rate, roughly in line with the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 101,709 miles. The most common fail item is worn suspension pin or bush, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

Honest John owner records point to diesel particulate filter blockages and engine oil consumption or timing chain issues as the recurring problems to check before buying used.

Buyers weighing up a used Sharan 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 22–31

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 →

22–31

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

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

01

A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

2,331 occurrences · 3.7% of tests
02

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

1,474 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
03

A tyre cords visible or damaged

1,471 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
04

Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

1,324 occurrences · 2.1% of tests
05

A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

885 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
06

a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm

706 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
07

A tyre seriously damaged

704 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
08

The strength or continuity of the load bearing structure within 30cm of any sub-frame, spring or suspension component mounting (a 'prescribed area') is significantly reduced or inadequately repaired

704 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
09

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

665 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
10

A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

641 occurrences · 1.0% 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

£200–£430

If every one of this Sharan'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 11.2-point gap between bands means the year you buy Volkswagen Sharan has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

87.3%

2018–2020 registration

the 2018–2020 band climbs to 87.3% — a 11.2-point improvement. Tests in this band average 80,547 miles — roughly 37K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: pin or bush excessively worn, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.

Band to be cautious about

76.1%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 76.1% pass rate against a fleet average of 87.3% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: pin or bush excessively worn, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 117,339 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (87.3% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (76.1% pass). That's a 11.2-point spread across 45,348 older tests and 15,078 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

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

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

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£6.59

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Hycote Touch Up Colour Paint Brush Volkswagen Mars Red 12.5ml

£6.59

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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.

Recent owner-reported faults

21 Dec 2015
Multiple faults reported on 2011 Sharan after 3 year warranty expired: Replace a leaking fuel tower, a defective nox sensor, a leaking water pump, a defective steering wheel control unit, a defective electronic driver mirror, EGR valve repalcement. Minor issues included keys and parking sensors. Now at 45,000 miles.
28 Dec 2013
Complaint that Alhambra 2.0 TDI 140 (same as Sharan) ran out of Adblue on a long journey and that instructions for replenishing it were far from clear.
8 Sep 2012
Engine of 33k mile 2010 (less than 3 years old) Sharan 2.0 TDI became noisy. Swarf found in engine oil. Engine replaced under warranty.
16 Jul 2012
Diesel DPFs require Adblue and some dealers charge an unreasonable amount for this. Can be obtained from around 25% of fuel service stations much more cheaply.

Source: honestjohn.co.uk · 4 reports indexed

Buying or keeping a Sharan?

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 Sharan 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.