Volkswagen
6,361 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where Transporter T30 Highline Tdis pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 7.9 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
85.4%
Pass-after-fix
3.3%
Fail
11.1%
Avg miles
45,890
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Diesel cars registered from September 2015 generally meet Euro 6 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 6,360 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Transporter T30 Highline Tdi examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
85.3%
Fail
11.6%
PRS
3.0%
Avg mileage at test
52,820 mi
Pass
85.5%
Fail
10.6%
PRS
3.5%
Avg mileage at test
39,241 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,966 MOT tests, the Transporter T30 Highline Tdi returns 83.2% first-time pass — above the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A seriously damaged tyre and shock absorber damaged to the extent round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 41,308, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
23–35
out of 50
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
206 occurrences · 3.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
126 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
109 occurrences · 1.7% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
88 occurrences · 1.4% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
70 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
69 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
61 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
41 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Wiper blade defective
38 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
35 occurrences · 0.6% 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 Transporter T30 Highline Tdi'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
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. Pass rates barely move across bands here, so the year you buy Volkswagen Transporter T30 Highline Tdi makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
85.5%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 85.5% — a 0.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 39,241 miles — roughly 14K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the… — 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
85.3%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 85.3% pass rate against a fleet average of 85.5% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, fractured or broken, and tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm. Average mileage on test for this band is 52,820 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (85.5% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (85.3% pass). That's a 0.1-point spread across 3,106 older tests and 3,254 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
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
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Mobile mechanic · UK-wide
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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
Good to drive, flexible body styles, strong image
Where it falls short
Styling-wise, Volkswagen claims that the latest model has styling that harks back to the original VW Type 2. But from the door backwards, it’s the same shape as the Ford Transit Custom – unsurprising, as the models were co-developed. That means it's marginally bigger than rivals such as the Vauxhall Vivaro and Renault Trafic, both of which feel dated by comparison.
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 Transporter T30 Highline Tdi 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.
