MOT cost .
Volkswagen Transporter
MOT 2024

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

Volkswagen

Transporter

598,195 MOT tests analysed. lands in the middle of the pack — here's where Transporters pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 3.5 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

74.0%

Pass-after-fix

4.1%

Fail

21.1%

Avg miles

125,984

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

Trim variants

T28 Startline TDI 82.3% 15,093 T28 Highline TDI 86.8% 13,242 T32 H Line TDI S A 89.3% 7,676 T30 H Line TDI S A 88.0% 6,440 T30 Highline TDI 85.4% 6,361 T30 Startline TDI 78.8% 4,678 T28 H Line TDI S A 87.7% 4,356 T32 Highline TDI 85.9% 3,221 T32 Startline TDI 78.3% 2,750 T32 H LN TDI 4M SA 87.6% 2,608 SE TDI S A 86.4% 2,226 T32 SE TDI BMT S A 86.6% 2,171

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 598,195 tests

Pass rate climbs 10.9 points across the cohorts — newer Transporter examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 540,946

Pass

73.0%

Fail

22.1%

PRS

4.2%

Avg mileage at test

132,678 mi

2018–2020 cohort 57,094

Pass

83.1%

Fail

12.5%

PRS

3.6%

Avg mileage at test

62,859 mi

2021+ cohort 155

Pass

83.9%

Fail

10.3%

PRS

3.2%

Avg mileage at test

36,334 mi

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

Generations on file · 2

Volkswagen Transporter · UK market

Volkswagen Transporter 1950-1967

1950–1967

Volkswagen Transporter 1967-1979

1967–1979

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

The picture

Volkswagen Transporter: mixed MOT record across 366,115 tests

The Volkswagen Transporter 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 366,115 tests puts this van on a 73.1% first-time pass rate, below the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 120,249 miles. The most common fail item is failed number plate light, followed by cracked or discoloured windscreen.

The 2025 Volkswagen Transporter marks a new direction for Volkswagen. Previously a standalone competitor, the seventh generation Volkswagen Transporter is the first van to come from an alliance with Ford. You won't be surprised to discover it shares much with the latest Ford Tran.

Buyers weighing up a used Transporter 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 23–35

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

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

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

    37,133 occurrences · 6.2% of tests

  2. 02

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

    25,784 occurrences · 4.3% of tests

  3. 03

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    16,686 occurrences · 2.8% of tests

  4. 04

    A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated

    13,189 occurrences · 2.2% of tests

  5. 05

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    11,611 occurrences · 1.9% of tests

  6. 06

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc

    10,353 occurrences · 1.7% of tests

  7. 07

    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

    9,562 occurrences · 1.6% of tests

  8. 08

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    8,956 occurrences · 1.5% of tests

  9. 09

    A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn

    8,167 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  10. 10

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    7,827 occurrences · 1.3% 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

£168–£515

If every one of this Transporter'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 10.8-point gap between bands means the year you buy Volkswagen Transporter has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

83.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 83.9% — a 10.8-point improvement. Tests in this band average 36,334 miles — roughly 96K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a tear, caused by separation or…, 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

73.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 73.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 83.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: inoperative in the case of multiple lamps…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, and constant velocity boot severely deteriorated. Average mileage on test for this band is 132,678 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (83.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (73.0% pass). That's a 10.8-point spread across 540,946 older tests and 155 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

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Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

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

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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.

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.

Buying or keeping a Transporter?

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 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.