Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Volkswagen Caravelle 2002: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 57 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle were passes.

Summary

With 643 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 643 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
57 in every 100
Did not pass first time
43 in every 100279 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
23 yearsabout 193,669 miles
First tests counted
643

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Steering

One fault: steering rack, 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 279 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Steering rack

Failed on 23 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Steering gear casing retaining devices dangerously loose, or visible relative movement to the chassis or bodywork, is graded Dangerous. A casing not properly attached, or fractured, is Major, but a fracture that affects the stability or attachment of the casing is Dangerous. A gaiter damaged but still keeping dirt out is Minor, and Major once missing or no longer doing so.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: horn, 3.6 times as often as on similar cars.

Horn

Failed on 31 first tests3.6 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A horn that does not work, or is likely to be confused with an emergency vehicle siren, is graded Major. Gongs, bells, sirens and anything with more than one tone, which includes a horn that alternates between its notes, are not allowed, except a gong, bell or siren on vehicles first used before a set date. Sound defects are Minor for named cases such as a bell or harsh sound, and Major under a general row.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Brakes

Two faults. The strongest is the brake efficiency below minimum (roller test): 2.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test)

Failed on 20 first tests2.9 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Service brake efficiency below the minimum requirement is Major, and efficiency less than half of the required value is graded Dangerous. On a roller brake tester, if more than half of the wheels of a brake system lock, the efficiency requirement for that system counts as met.

Brake imbalance across an axle (roller test, efficiency check, rear)

Failed on 20 first tests2.4 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A wheel giving less than a set share of the maximum effort from the other wheel on the same axle is Major. On a steered axle, less than half is graded Dangerous. Testers disregard an imbalance if the lower effort is the result of a locked wheel, or if the higher effort from a wheel is at or below a low set figure.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail.

Flexible brake hoses (front)

Noted on 32 first tests2.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Non-component advisories

Noted on 42 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
57in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
38in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 56.6% of 643 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 61.6%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 38 not fixed make the 43 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020022005201020152020Older carsNewer cars
406080100200220102020Newer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 59 in every 100 passed first time.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199754 in every 100339
199856 in every 100337
199959 in every 100370
200054 in every 100469
200158 in every 100575
2002 This car57 in every 100643
200352 in every 100515
200454 in every 100462
200553 in every 100609
200654 in every 100542
200752 in every 100548
200857 in every 100526
200958 in every 100385
201064 in every 100576
201166 in every 100638
201271 in every 100779
201372 in every 100676
201473 in every 100600
201569 in every 100689
201671 in every 100966
201773 in every 100923
201876 in every 100646
201977 in every 100783
202081 in every 100660
202183 in every 100507

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 643 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 56.6% of 643 first MOTs on the 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 61.6%. Among 279 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Steering rack appears more often than on similar cars (8.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Steering rack (8.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Steering rack shows up more often than on similar cars (8.2% of those tests; 23 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle include Steering rack, Horn, Brake efficiency below minimum (roller test). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2002 Volkswagen Caravelle (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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