Volkswagen
4,678 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Transporter T30 Startline Tdis pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 1.3 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
78.8%
Pass-after-fix
3.2%
Fail
17.0%
Avg miles
57,463
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 · 4,678 tests
Pass rate is broadly flat across the cohorts — new and old Transporter T30 Startline Tdi examples track each other at the test bay.
Pass
78.5%
Fail
18.0%
PRS
2.7%
Avg mileage at test
65,375 mi
Pass
79.2%
Fail
15.8%
PRS
3.8%
Avg mileage at test
48,485 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,648 MOT tests, the Transporter T30 Startline Tdi returns 78.2% first-time pass — roughly in line with the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A broken or weak spring and a number-plate lamp out round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 49,884, 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
194 occurrences · 4.1% of tests
A rear registration plate lamp or light source missing or inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources
146 occurrences · 3.1% of tests
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage
119 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
93 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm
93 occurrences · 2.0% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
85 occurrences · 1.8% of tests
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn
57 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
54 occurrences · 1.2% of tests
Engine MIL illuminated indicating a malfunction
52 occurrences · 1.1% of tests
Stop lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
50 occurrences · 1.1% 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
£88–£195
If every one of this Transporter T30 Startline 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 →
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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 Startline Tdi makes little measurable difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
79.2%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 79.2% — a 0.6-point improvement. Tests in this band average 48,485 miles — roughly 17K 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 serious fluid leak — 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
78.5%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 78.5% 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, inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, and fractured or broken. Average mileage on test for this band is 65,375 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (79.2% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (78.5% pass). That's a 0.6-point spread across 2,484 older tests and 2,194 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
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
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
My Motor World · affiliate
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Click Mechanic · affiliate
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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 Startline 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.
