Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
Volkswagen
1,607 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where T Roc SE Tsi Evo S As pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 14.7 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.2%
Pass-after-fix
1.3%
Fail
6.4%
Avg miles
28,829
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 · 1,607 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.5 points across the cohorts — newer T Roc SE Tsi Evo S A examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
90.3%
Fail
8.3%
PRS
1.4%
Avg mileage at test
28,865 mi
Pass
92.8%
Fail
5.8%
PRS
1.3%
Avg mileage at test
28,816 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,607 MOT tests, the T-Roc Se Tsi Evo S-A returns 92.2% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Windscreen damage and a defective wiper blade round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 28,829, 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
31 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
20 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Wiper blade defective
20 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
14 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
11 occurrences · 0.7% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
9 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Seat belt buckle missing, damaged or not functioning as intended
7 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
6 occurrences · 0.4% of tests
Number plate inscription missing or illegible
5 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
4 occurrences · 0.2% 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
£160–£300
If every one of this T Roc SE Tsi Evo S A'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 2.5-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy Volkswagen T Roc SE Tsi Evo S A makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
92.8%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 92.8% — a 2.5-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. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.
Band to be cautious about
90.3%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 90.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.8% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: blade defective, has a cut in excess of the…, and damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view. Average mileage on test for this band is 28,865 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (92.8% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (90.3% pass). That's a 2.5-point spread across 424 older tests and 1,183 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
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
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
Item 03 · 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
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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
The latest updates to the Volkswagen T-Roc mean it's now one of the best small SUVs you can buy. It's extremely comfortable with that oh-so-desirable high seating position, while a big boot means it's a very versatile choice. There's also a very wide range of engines including diesel power – and you can even buy a four-wheel-drive T-Roc.
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 T Roc SE Tsi Evo S A 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.